A marine platform (and method of installation) provides a plurality of buoys of special configuration, a platform having a peripheral portion that includes a plurality of attachment positions, one attachment position for each buoy, and an articulating connection that connects each buoy to the platform at a respective attachment position, the connection allowing for sea state induced buoy motions while minimizing effect on the platform. A method of installation places the platform (including oil and gas drilling and/or production facility) next to the buoys. Ballasting moves the platform and buoys relative to one another until connections are perfected between each buoy and the platform.

A system for moving items on a rig floor (2), the system comprising a plurality of skids (30-35) and a network of rails (10) for guiding the plurality of skids, each skid of said plurality of skids for supporting an item, and each skid having rail engagement members for engaging at least one rail of said network of rails. The rig floor may form part of a drilling rig such as a drill ship (1) used in the construction of oil and gas wells.

The present invention provides a marine structure platform including: horizontal connecting parts which are disposed under the seawater and connected to one another in a lattice structure; vertical connecting parts which are installed uprightly at four corners of the horizontal connecting parts and protrude from the seawater; and movement damping parts which are extended at the four corners from the vertical connecting parts along the horizontal connecting parts adjacent to one another, the movement damping parts having a plate shape so as to define a vertical gap therebetween.

A floating ocean platform stabilized in position by energy produced from wave energy. In one embodiment, the platform may be used to support a roadway to build a floating bridge. The platform may also include a wave break mechanism for additional stability and may submerge for storm survival. The platform may be constructed in modules to permit reconfiguration and management of resources. In other embodiments, the platform may support communities. The bridge may also provide transmission lines for conducting wave generated electricity back to the mainland.

An offshore drilling rig including a drill floor deck having one or more holes, each defining a well center; one or more masts upwardly extending relative to the drill floor deck, and one or more hoisting systems, each supported by at least one of the one or more masts and configured for hoisting and lowering tubular equipment through at least one of the one or more well centers; a storage area for accommodating marine riser joints in upright orientation side by side in respective upright storage positions; a riser handling apparatus, different from the hoisting systems, adapted to move at least one of said marine riser joints along a movement path between its upright storage position and a prostrate maintenance/transfer position on a maintenance/transfer area, which movement path does not intersect any of the well centers.

A vessel and method to perform subsea wellbore related operations, e.g. slim hole technique drilling of a subsea wellbore are disclosed. The vessel has a hull with at least one moonpool defining first and second moonpool areas. A vertical tower is mounted on a tower supporting hull structure and has a vertical operative face. A hoisting device has a winch and winch driven cable, and is adapted to suspend a load from said vertical tower via said at least one winch driven cable and to manipulate the suspended load in a firing line of the tower that extends along and outside of said vertical operative face of the tower. The tower is slewable about a vertical slew axis by means of a slewing drive at least into first and second operative positions wherein the firing line extends through the first and second moonpool areas respectively.

A disconnectable spread mooring and riser tower system for a vessel floating at a water surface. The system comprises a forward chain table assembly releasably connected to the vessel at the bow via a first connector assembly, and an aft chain table assembly releasably connected at the stem via a second connector assembly. Mooring legs are attached to the chain table assemblies and are capable of being anchored at spaced locations on a seafloor. The first and second connector assemblies are arranged and designed to unlock and release the forward and aft chain table assemblies from the vessel. A riser tower system fixed to the seafloor may be located near the moored vessel and flexible jumper hoses can be extended between the riser tower system and the vessel to transfer fluids, air, power and control signals.

The present invention relates to methods and systems for establishing a well foundation as well as for drilling and installation of a surface casing without any use of a drilling rig.

A drilling or work-over vessel (10) is disclosed comprising a number of operational equipment (300), wherein the drilling or work-over vessel comprises at least one operational control and/or state unit (100) comprising at least one processing unit (102), wherein the at least one operational control and/or state unit (100) comprises or are in connection with a memory and/or storage (103), and at least one sensor unit (200), wherein the at least one sensor unit (200) is adapted to obtain one or more measured physical values and to provide data representing the one or more measured physical values and/or derived values thereof to the at least one operational control and/or state unit (100), the memory and/or storage (103) comprises a data representation of a computational physics model of at least a part of the drilling or work-over rig, and the at least one processing unit (102) is adapted to derive data representing an estimation of one or more physical states (such as defined by limits of forces, relative motion between operational equipment and vessel, or between other two pieces of operational equipment) estimated to act on at least one operational equipment (300) in response to the data representing the one or more measured physical values and/or derived values thereof as provided by the at least one sensor unit (200).

An offshore production system includes a surface vessel, a tubular tendon extending between the surface vessel and a lower connection system disposed at a seabed, the riser coupled to the surface vessel with an upper connection system, and an electrical cable extending through a central passage of the tubular tendon, wherein the upper connection system comprises a connector that physically supports the electrical cable.