A towed vessel suitable for containing and transporting various liquids is disclosed. The vessel further comprises various features useful in the transportation, navigation, and storage of the towable vessel, both when in use for transporting fluids and when transported in an emptied state. Such features include navigational and positioning devices and methods, power supply devices and methods, and means for filling, inflating, emptying, and deflating a non-rigid, towed vessel. Aspects of embodiments of the present invention further include features useful for purifying or preserving the purity of the fluid to be transported.

Sealed and thermally insulating tank comprising a sealed membrane and a thermally insulating barrier with insulating blocks comprising cover panels, the sealed membrane being made up of a corrugated metal membrane comprising a series of parallel corrugations and flat portions between the corrugations and resting on the cover panels, wherein an insulating block is twice the pitch of the corrugations, meaning that a series of corrugations comprises two corrugations situated in line with one insulating block, and wherein the flat portions of the sealed membrane are arranged in line with an internal area of the cover panels, the sealed membrane being fixed to the thermally insulating barrier by fixing the flat portions of the sealed membrane to the insulating blocks in the internal area of the cover panels.

Systems and methods to create and store a liquid phase mix of natural gas absorbed in light-hydrocarbon solvents under temperatures and pressures that facilitate improved volumetric ratios of the stored natural gas as compared to CNG and PLNG at the same temperatures and pressures of less than ?80? to about ?120? F. and about 300 psig to about 900 psig. Preferred solvents include ethane, propane and butane, and natural gas liquid (NGL) and liquid pressurized gas (LPG) solvents. Systems and methods for receiving raw production or semi-conditioned natural gas, conditioning the gas, producing a liquid phase mix of natural gas absorbed in a light-hydrocarbon solvent, and transporting the mix to a market where pipeline quality gas or fractionated products are delivered in a manner utilizing less energy than CNG, PLNG or LNG systems with better cargo-mass to containment-mass ratio for the natural gas component than CNG systems.

A gas supply marine vessel and a refueling facility are described. The gas supply marine vessel includes a hull with an upper deck having an elongated cargo cavity formed therein. Gas interface modules are disposed in the cavity and extend between hull sides, each module having a plurality of fuel vessel docking stations. A plurality of stacked fuel container assemblies are fluidically coupled to the docking stations. A gantry, is movable along the length of the cavity, straddles the cargo cavity between hull sides. An articulating crane is mounted on the gantry and it utilized to move fuel container assemblies to a fuel container depression formed in the deck of a floating refueling facility. The floating refueling facility includes a concave side to facilitate mooring adjacent a shoreline, the concave side forming angled extensions at corners of the deck with a linkspan extending from each of the angled extensions.

A gas supply marine vessel and a refueling facility are described. The gas supply marine vessel includes a hull with an upper deck having an elongated cargo cavity formed therein. Gas interface modules are disposed in the cavity and extend between hull sides, each module having a plurality of fuel vessel docking stations. A plurality of stacked fuel container assemblies are fluidically coupled to the docking stations. A gantry, is movable along the length of the cavity, straddles the cargo cavity between hull sides. An articulating crane is mounted on the gantry and it utilized to move fuel container assemblies to a fuel container depression formed in the deck of a floating refueling facility. The floating refueling facility includes a concave side to facilitate mooring adjacent a shoreline, the concave side forming angled extensions at corners of the deck with a linkspan extending from each of the angled extensions.

A Floating Production, Storage and Offloading (FPSO) surveillance system (7) is equipped with an adjustable alarm threshold that suppresses nuisance alarms if liquid level variations in FPSO crude oil and/or other liquid storage tanks (6) monitored by the system do not exceed estimated oscillating liquid level variations due to oscillating motions of the FPSO unit (1) during severe weather conditions.

A Floating Production, Storage and Offloading (FPSO) surveillance system (7) is equipped with an adjustable alarm threshold that suppresses nuisance alarms if liquid level variations in FPSO crude oil and/or other liquid storage tanks (6) monitored by the system do not exceed estimated oscillating liquid level variations due to oscillating motions of the FPSO unit (1) during severe weather conditions.

An internal bottom wall of the double hull bears a sump structure comprising a rigid container arranged through the thickness of the bottom wall of the tank and intended to accommodate a suction member of a pump. The rigid container comprises a bottom wall situated at a level further toward the outside than the secondary sealing membrane of the bottom wall of the tank. The sump structure comprises a primary connecting plate surrounding the container, the primary connecting plate having a connecting surface extending parallel to the primary sealing membrane of the bottom wall of the tank, the primary sealing membrane of the bottom wall of the tank being attached in a sealed manner to the connecting surface all around the sump structure.

A offshore system for storing oil includes a hull. The hull includes a buoyancy compartment and an oil storage compartment disposed below the buoyancy compartment. The oil storage compartment has an upper end, a lower end, and an inner cavity. In addition the system includes a water port in fluid communication with the inner cavity and configured to allow water to exit the inner cavity. Further, the system includes an oil heating and circulation system coupled to the hull. The oil heating and circulation system includes a suction line having an inlet disposed in the inner cavity proximal the upper end. The inlet is configured to draw oil from the inner cavity. The oil heating and circulation system also includes an oil heater coupled to the suction line and configured to heat oil passing through the suction line. Further, the system includes a return line coupled to the oil heater. The return line includes an outlet disposed in the inner cavity and vertically positioned between the inlet of the suction line and the water port.

A offshore system for storing oil includes a hull. The hull includes a buoyancy compartment and an oil storage compartment disposed below the buoyancy compartment. The oil storage compartment has an upper end, a lower end, and an inner cavity. In addition the system includes a water port in fluid communication with the inner cavity and configured to allow water to exit the inner cavity. Further, the system includes an oil heating and circulation system coupled to the hull. The oil heating and circulation system includes a suction line having an inlet disposed in the inner cavity proximal the upper end. The inlet is configured to draw oil from the inner cavity. The oil heating and circulation system also includes an oil heater coupled to the suction line and configured to heat oil passing through the suction line. Further, the system includes a return line coupled to the oil heater. The return line includes an outlet disposed in the inner cavity and vertically positioned between the inlet of the suction line and the water port.