A semi-submersible floating offshore vessel has a deckbox structure with a main deckbox bottom extending underneath a lower deck. The deckbox structure includes a recessed cellar deck structure that protrudes below the main deckbox bottom, which recessed cellar deck structure has a cellar deck bottom wall that is closed and wave impact resistant and which recessed cellar deck structure has a peripheral wall that is closed and wave impact resistant. The peripheral wall extends between an outer perimeter of the cellar deck bottom wall and the main deckbox bottom of the deckbox structure. The moonpool extends through the recessed cellar deck structure. Seen in plan view, the recessed cellar deck structure includes a number of pointed wave crest splitting sections.

An offshore drilling vessel includes a hull and at least one opening in the hull arranged to receive an end of at least one submersible cable. The offshore drilling vessel also comprises a cable capture mechanism configured to lift the end of the at least one submersible cable through the at least one opening from a submersed position to a raised position. A cable connector is configured to couple to the end of the at least one submersible cable when the end of the at least one submersible cable is in the raised position such that the offshore drilling vessel comprises an external data and/or power connection via the submersible cable.

A drilling platform for amphibious operations includes: a base, wherein drive tracks are arranged on both sides of the base, a propeller is disposed at a rear end of the base, and a driving assembly is disposed inside the base; two support cylinders are respectively disposed at two ends of the base; each of the support cylinders contains a sub-cylinder; a pushing cylinder is arranged on a bottom surface of the partition plate; a buoyancy adjustment assembly is provided at a bottom of the base, so as to provide buoyancy support for the base when the base is transferred from land to water. The present invention is suitable for drilling construction of pile foundations of water and land buildings, bridge piers, and transmission line electric tower pile foundations, as well as drilling of oil wells, wherein the drilling platform construction process at different drilling points is omitted.

Disclosed is a friction-reducing and anti-wear composite material for a wading kinematic pair and a method of preparing the same. The friction-reducing and anti-wear composite material is prepared from carbon fiber (CF) among inorganic fillers, polyimide (PI) and polyether ether ketone (PEEK). These three materials are wet-mixed, dried and placed in a mold followed by curing by a heat press. The cured product is cooled and demolded to obtain the CF/PI/PEEK friction-reducing and anti-wear composite material for a wading kinematic pair. Tribological properties of the PEEK material are enhanced due to synergistic effect arising from hybrid organic-inorganic filling. The friction-reducing and anti-wear composite material provided in the invention has significantly reduced friction coefficient and wear volume loss under the seawater environment.

A truss system may include a plurality of beams. Each beam of the plurality of beams may have various cross-sectional sizes in a same plane. Additionally, the plurality of beams may have a geometric arrangement such that a structural weight at required strength level may be reduced to achieve optimal design.

A semi-submersible drilling vessel has a deckbox structure, one or more pontoons, and multiple support columns extending upward from the one or more pontoons and supporting thereon the deckbox structure. An annular riser joints storage caisson extends downwardly from the deckbox structure, wherein the storage caisson delimits an annular storage space configured for storage therein of an annular array of riser joints in vertical orientation thereof. A riser joints carousel device is provided in the annular storage space, which riser joints carousel device is configured to carry an annular array of riser joints in vertical orientation thereof in a mobile manner relative to the annular storage caisson so that the array of riser joints is movable along an annular path through the storage spaced between the inner and outer wall of the storage caisson. The deckbox structure is provided with a riser joint transfer passage at a riser joint transfer location above the annular path of the riser joints carried by the riser joints carousel device through the storage space. The vessel is provided with a riser joint vertical transfer device configured to lift and lower a riser joint out of and into the riser joints carousel device, passing therein vertically through the riser joint transfer passage of the deckbox structure.

There is disclosed a mooring device (10) comprising an attachment unit (66) for mooring of a floating unit (110) to a floating or non-floating structure (125). The mooring device (10) comprises a first mooring arm (12) and a second mooring arm (20) for transferring and/or absorbing forces and energy that arises when the floating unit (110) moves relative to the floating or non-floating structure. There is also disclosed a floating unit and a floating or non-floating structure comprising one or more such mooring devices (10).

Systems, devices and methods enable generation and monitoring of support platform structural conditions in a manner that overcomes drawbacks associated with conventional approaches (e.g., load cells) for generating and monitoring similar operating condition information. In preferred embodiments, such systems, devices and methods utilize fiber optic strain gauges (i.e., fiber optic sensors) in place of (e.g., retrofit/data replacement) or in combination with conventional load cells. The fiber optic sensors are strategically placed at a plurality of locations on one or more support bodies of a support platform. In preferred embodiments, the fiber optic strain gauges are placed in positions within a hull and/or one or more pontoons of an offshore platform. Such positions are selected whereby resulting operating condition data generated by the fiber optic strain gauges suitably replaces data received by conventionally constructed and located load cells of an offshore platform (e.g., a TLP).

A sock for a floating platform including a plurality of tubulars coupled together and defining a bore and a catcher assembly. The catcher assembly including a plurality of orifices formed in at least one of the plurality of tubulars, a catcher releasably coupled to the plurality of tubulars by a plurality of shearable members, wherein the catcher is disposed in the bore, and wherein the catcher is movable from a first position to a second position, and a stop flange having at least one aperture.

A sock for a floating platform including a plurality of tubulars coupled together and defining a bore and a catcher assembly. The catcher assembly including a plurality of orifices formed in at least one of the plurality of tubulars, a catcher releasably coupled to the plurality of tubulars by a plurality of shearable members, wherein the catcher is disposed in the bore, and wherein the catcher is movable from a first position to a second position, and a stop flange having at least one aperture.