Mooring rope protection device

Abstract

To provide a mooring rope protection implement restricting displacement of a mooring rope so that the mooring rope does not enter below a cargo handling construction such as a platform positioned in between mooring constructions such as a dolphin.SOLUTION: A mooring rope protection implement 1 is used in a harbor facility 100 which comprises: a cargo handling construction 105 constituted including a base 106 with a top surface 106A formed planar and a pillar part 107 for supporting the base 106 from below; and a plurality of mooring constructions 102, 103 arranged interposing the cargo handling construction 105 therebetween. The moor rope protection implement includes: a first portion 2 extending in a vertical direction along vertical surfaces 106B and 106C of the base 106; and a second portion 3 extending in a horizontal direction along the top surface 106A of the base 106. Therein, a tip 21 of the first portion 2 is positioned below a prescribed position C3, and the second portion 2 is retained by retaining mechanisms 110 on the base 106 of the cargo handling construction 105.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a device for protecting mooring ropes (also called mooring lines, hereinafter the same), and in particular to a device for use in port facilities that have a cargo handling structure such as a platform used for loading and unloading ships carrying large amounts of LNG (Liquefied Natural Gas, hereinafter the same) and a mooring structure such as a mooring dolphin (MD) that is placed between the cargo handling structure and for attaching the mooring ropes. [Background technology]

[0002] As shown in FIG. 1(b) of Patent Document 1, port facilities may have a loading platform located on one side of a ship, for example, a large LNG carrier, for mooring the ship, and dolphins arranged on both sides of the loading platform along the longitudinal direction of the ship, to which one end of a mooring rope attached to the ship at the other end is attached.

[0003] Meanwhile, while mooring ropes have traditionally been made of heavy materials such as metal wires, in recent years they have begun to be made of lighter materials such as soft ropes made of fibers, as shown in Patent Document 2, for example. Also, as LNG carriers entering ports have become larger, it may become necessary to use more mooring ropes than before, such as extending mooring ropes from the center of the vessel's longitudinal direction, in order to moor the larger LNG carriers at desired locations, as shown in Figure 4 of Patent Document 3, for example.

[0004] Accordingly, in the case of a port facility 100 configured as shown in Figure 8 of the present application, in which the platform 105 is positioned so as to protrude from the mooring facility 101 and the mooring dolphins (hereinafter abbreviated as MDs) 102, 103 are positioned closer to the mooring facility 101 than the platform 105, when retrieving the lines, it may be necessary to extend the mooring rope 200 in a V-shape from the center of the large LNG ship S toward the rear in the longitudinal direction and hook it onto the hooks 104 of the MDs 102, 103 positioned relatively close to the platform 105 on both sides of the platform 105. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2000-319849 [Patent Document 2] Utility Model Registration No. 3190215 [Patent Document 3] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2005-96638 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] If the mooring rope is a fiber rope, it will not sink in the sea even when it is dropped into the sea, but will float on the water surface, unlike mooring ropes made of metal wire, etc. Therefore, in a port facility 100 for mooring a large LNG ship S as shown in Figure 8 of the present application described above, even if the displacement of the mooring rope 200 can be controlled during rope handling, for example, by pulling the tip of the mooring rope 200 with a tugboat (not shown) to carry it to MDs 102 and 103 and hooking it onto a hook 104 such as a quick-release hook, there is a risk that the mooring rope 200 will get under the base 106 of the platform 105 and come into contact with the platform 105 and be damaged, due to a drop in the seawater level, etc., causing the pillar part (not shown in Figure 8; the same applies below) supporting the base 106 of the platform 105 to appear above the water surface. Alternatively, when the mooring rope 200 comes into contact with the platform 105 during line handling, the mooring rope 200 may be damaged when tension is applied to the mooring rope 200.

[0007] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above problems, and its main object is to provide a protective device for mooring ropes that prevents the mooring ropes from getting under loading structures such as platforms located between mooring structures such as dolphins, or that prevents the mooring ropes from coming into contact with loading structures. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, the mooring rope protection device of the present invention is configured with a base with a flat upper surface and pillars that support the base from below, and is used in port facilities that have a cargo handling structure used for loading and unloading ships and a plurality of mooring structures that are arranged on either side of the cargo handling structure and to which mooring ropes for mooring the ship can be attached.The mooring rope protection device is attached to the base of the cargo handling structure to prevent the mooring rope from coming into contact with the cargo handling structure, and is characterized in that it is configured with a first portion that extends vertically along the vertical surface of the base of the cargo handling structure and a second portion that extends horizontally along the top surface of the base of the cargo handling structure, and the tip of the first portion that extends vertically along the vertical surface of the base of the cargo handling structure is positioned further below a predetermined position that is below the base of the cargo handling structure. The cargo handling structure is also called, for example, a platform, or even a cargo handling platform or container platform. The columns of the cargo handling structure extend from the seabed. The mooring structure is also called, for example, a mooring dolphin or its abbreviation, MD. The mooring structure has a hook for attaching a mooring rope, such as a quick release hook. The first and second parts constituting the mooring rope protection device are formed, for example, from pipe-shaped members. The predetermined position below the platform of the cargo handling structure refers, for example, to the position of the mean low water level at spring tides in a port facility.

[0009] As a result, even if the mooring rope floating or drifting on the sea surface moves toward the loading and unloading structure and tries to get under the platform of the loading and unloading structure, it will come into contact with the first part of the mooring rope protection device, making it possible to prevent the mooring rope from getting under the platform of the loading and unloading structure.In addition, since the mooring rope can be prevented from coming into contact with the loading and unloading structure when the rope is being retrieved by first coming into contact with the mooring rope protection device, it is possible to prevent the mooring rope from being damaged when tension is applied to the mooring rope.

[0010] In the mooring rope protection device of the present invention, the second part is held on the upper surface of the platform of the loading and unloading structure by a holding mechanism so that the second part can rotate and move axially, and has a connecting part, and the connecting part is connected to a connecting part provided on the upper surface of the platform of the loading and unloading structure via a linear member (claim 2). The connecting part of the second part may be configured to allow a linear member to be attached. The linear member may be, for example, a chain. The second part does not have to be held by the holding mechanism so that the second part can rotate and move axially at all times; it may be normally fixed by the holding mechanism and released from the fixing by the holding mechanism as needed, allowing the second part to rotate and move axially.

[0011] This allows the second part to be rotated from a position in which the tip of the first part extends below the second member to a position facing sideways, in the same position as the second member, and then the linear member is pulled to move the second part axially toward the connecting part provided on the top surface of the platform, thereby raising the entire mooring rope protection device above the platform of the loading and unloading structure.

[0012] Furthermore, in the mooring rope protection device of the present invention, the second part has a fall prevention linear member attached to the end opposite the first part, and the fall prevention linear member is also attached to a column-shaped part provided on the top surface of the platform of the cargo handling structure (claim 3). There are no limitations on the manner in which the fall prevention linear member is attached to the end of the second part opposite the first part. This prevents the mooring rope protection device from falling from the platform of the cargo handling structure. [Effects of the Invention]

[0013] As described above, with the mooring rope protection device of the present invention, even if a mooring rope floating or drifting on the sea surface moves toward the cargo-handling structure and attempts to get under the platform of the cargo-handling structure, it will come into contact with the first part of the mooring rope protection device, making it possible to prevent the mooring rope from getting under the platform of the cargo-handling structure. Also, since the mooring rope can be prevented from coming into contact with the cargo-handling structure when the rope is being retrieved by first contacting the mooring rope protection device, it is possible to prevent the mooring rope from being damaged when tension is applied to the mooring rope.

[0014] In particular, according to the mooring rope protection device described in claim 2, the second part can be rotated from a position in which the tip of the first part extends below the second member to a position facing sideways in the same position as the second member, and then the linear member can be pulled to move the second part axially toward the connecting part provided on the top surface of the platform, thereby raising the entire mooring rope protection device above the platform of the loading and unloading structure.

[0015] In particular, according to the mooring rope protection device described in claim 3, it is possible to prevent the mooring rope protection device from falling off the platform of the loading and unloading structure. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0016] [Figure 1] 1 is a plan view schematically showing an example of a port facility having a platform to which the present invention can be applied. [Figure 2] This is a schematic enlarged plan view of a port facility, focusing on the arrangement of a platform and mooring dolphins to which the present invention is applied. [Figure 3] 1 is a side view showing a schematic view of a part of a platform configuration on which a mooring rope protection device of the present invention is mounted. [Figure 4] 1 is a perspective view showing a schematic view of a part of the configuration of a platform on which a mooring rope protection device of the present invention is mounted. [Figure 5]10 is an explanatory diagram showing the process of raising the entire mooring rope protection device of the present invention onto a platform. FIG. [Figure 6] FIG. 1 is a plan view showing the entire mooring rope protection device of the present invention raised above the platform. [Figure 7] This is a side view showing another example of a mooring rope protection device of the present invention, connected to a column-shaped portion on the top surface of a platform via a linear member for fall prevention. [Figure 8] FIG. 1 is a plan view showing a schematic arrangement of a platform and mooring dolphins to which the present invention is not applied. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0017] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0018] FIG. 1 shows a schematic view of a portion of an example of a port facility 100 to which the mooring rope protection device 1 of the present invention can be applied. The port facility 100 shown in FIG. 1 is located near a thermal power plant that uses natural gas as fuel and is equipped to moor a large LNG ship S so that natural gas can be discharged from the large LNG ship S to tanks such as gas tanks 301, 302, and 303 in an auxiliary facility 300 of the thermal power plant. In this embodiment, the port facility 100 is configured to include at least a platform 105, which is a loading and unloading structure for loading and unloading predetermined cargo from the large LNG ship S, and mooring dolphins (hereinafter referred to as MDs) 102 and 103, which are mooring structures for mooring the large LNG ship S with a mooring rope 200 (described below). Below, the MDs 102 and 103, the platform 105, the mooring rope 200, etc. will be described in order, followed by a description of the mooring rope protection device 1 of the present invention.

[0019] In this embodiment, as shown in the schematic explanatory diagram of the port facility 100 in Figure 1 and the schematic enlarged view of the port facility 100 in Figure 2, the MDs 102, 103 are lined up along a mooring facility 101 that extends out into the sea from a quay close to the gas tanks 301, 302, 303, and are arranged to be on the stern side of the moored large LNG ship S. Each of the MDs 102, 103 has a hook 104 (symbolically shown in Figure 2), such as a quick-release hook, onto which a mooring rope 200, described below, can be hooked. The MDs 102, 103 themselves are well known, and no changes have been made to them to correspond to the present invention, so a description of their configuration will be omitted.

[0020] In this embodiment, the platform 105 is a container platform, and as shown in the schematic explanatory diagram of the port facility 100 in FIG. 1 and the schematic enlarged view of the port facility 100 in FIG. 2, the platform 105 is disposed between the MD 102 and the MD 103, and has a base 106 (described below) disposed at a position protruding (away from) the mooring facility 101. The platform 105 is configured to include the base 106, for example, made of concrete, and a protrusion 108 connecting the base 106 and the mooring facility 101. As shown in FIGS. 3 to 6, the base 106 has a plate shape with at least an upper surface 106A formed flat, and is supported from below by pillars 107. The pillars 107 extend from the seabed. Note that FIG. 3 illustrates only one of the multiple pillars 107 for convenience. As shown in FIG. 3, the height of the platform 106 is set so that it is at least above the position C2 (shown by the dashed line) of the mean high water level at spring tide in the port facility 100.

[0021] In this embodiment, the base 106 of the platform 105 has a trapezoidal shape when viewed from above, tapering toward the large LNG ship S, as shown in FIG. 2 , and a docking mechanism 109 corresponding to the large LNG ship S is provided at a portion facing the large LNG ship S. The base 106 is configured to have, on both sides of the docking mechanism 109, vertical surfaces 106B that extend obliquely relative to a reference line extending in the same direction as the extension of the protruding portion 108. The base 106 has vertical surfaces 106C on the side opposite the large LNG ship S from the vertical surfaces 106B. In this embodiment, the vertical surfaces 106C extend in the same direction as the extension of the protruding portion 108. 4 and 6, the end of the vertical surface 106B on the vertical surface 106C side and the end of the vertical surface 106C on the vertical surface 106B side meet at a wide angle to form a boundary line L. By making the base 106 in the trapezoidal shape described above, it is possible to prevent the platform 105 from interfering with the mooring ropes 200 when connecting the large LNG ship S to the MDs 102 and 103, for example, as shown in FIG.

[0022] In this embodiment, the mooring rope 200 is made of a light material such as a soft rope, using fibers, etc., and is capable of floating on the sea surface when dropped into the sea. As shown in Figure 2, one end of the mooring rope 200 is attached to a drum of a payout / reeling device 201 provided on the large LNG ship S, and the mooring rope 200 is paid out by pulling by a tugboat or a worker, and the mooring rope 200 is reeled in by rotation of the drum of the payout / reeling device 201. The other end of the mooring rope 200 has a structure that allows it to be hung on a hook 104, such as the quick-release hook of the MDs 102 and 103 described above.

[0023] In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 2, the mooring rope protection devices 1 of the present invention are installed at positions overlapping the boundary line L between the vertical faces 106B and 106C of the base 106 of the platform 105 (or, although not shown, closer to the vertical face 106B than the boundary line L). In other words, two mooring rope protection devices 1 are installed on the base 106. In this way, by installing the mooring rope protection devices 1 at positions overlapping the boundary line L of the base 106 or in a location nearby, it is possible to prevent the mooring rope 200 from coming into contact with the base 106 or getting under the base 106, particularly at the boundary line L between the vertical faces 106B and 106C of the base 106.

[0024] 3 to 6, each mooring rope protection device 1 is configured to have a first section 2 that is installed on base 106 of platform 105 and extends vertically in a straight line along vertical surfaces 106B, 106C of base 106 during operation (or during normal operation, use), and a second section 3 that is installed on base 106 of platform 105 and extends horizontally in a straight line along upper surface 106A of base 106 during operation (or during normal operation, use). The first section 2 has a tip 21 on the opposite side to second section 3 that is submerged in the sea during operation.

[0025] The first section 2 and the second section 3 are integrally formed using, for example, a pipe-shaped member, and one end of the first section 2 and one end of the second section 3 are connected at approximately a right angle, so that the overall shape of the first section 2 and the second section 3 is approximately L-shaped, as shown in Figures 3 and 6.

[0026] As shown in FIG. 3 , when first section 2 is extended vertically along vertical surfaces 106B, 106C of platform 106 during the above-described operation, tip 21 is set so that tip 21 is always submerged in the sea when first section 2 is extended vertically along vertical surfaces 106B, 106C of platform 106. Tip 21 is set not only below reference line C1 (shown by a solid line) passing through the bottom of platform 106 and position C2 (shown by a dashed line) of the mean high water level at spring tides in port facility 100, but also below position C3 (shown by a dashed line) of the mean low water level at spring tides in port facility 100. The mean low water level at spring tides is, for example, the average of the low water levels at spring tides measured over a predetermined period at port facility 100. However, the reference need not necessarily be position C3 of the mean low water level at spring tides in port facility 100; for example, the lowest water level ever measured at port facility 100 could also be used as the reference.

[0027] As shown in FIGS. 3 to 6 (particularly FIG. 3(b)), the second section 3 is held at its midsection on the base 106 of the platform 105 by two holding mechanisms 110. In this embodiment, the holding mechanism 110 is composed of a base 111 installed on the upper surface 106A of the base 106 and a U-shaped bolt 115 attached to the base 111 to hold the second section 3. As shown in FIG. 3(b), the base 111 is composed of a plate section 113 that is in planar contact with the upper surface 106A of the base 106 and fixed to the upper surface 106A of the base 106 by fasteners 112 such as bolts, and an attachment section 114 that is arranged above the plate section 113 and includes two upright sections 114a and a connecting section 114b that connects these upright sections 114a and 114a. The connecting portion 114b of the mounting portion 114 is provided with through holes through which both ends of the U-shaped bolt 115 are inserted.

[0028] By configuring the holding mechanisms 110 in this way, in each holding mechanism 110, the second part 3 is placed above the connecting part 114b of the mounting part 114 of the base 111, and the U-shaped bolt 115 is placed over the second part 3 from above while both end parts of the bolt are inserted into the through-hole of the connecting part 114b. Then, nuts 116 are appropriately fitted onto both end parts of the U-shaped bolt 115 protruding below the connecting part 114b of the mounting part 114 and tightened, whereby the second part 3 is held and fixed to the upper surface 106A of the base 106 via the holding mechanism 110. Using such a holding mechanism 110, the second part 3 can be made rotatable about its axis by loosening the nut 116, for example, and the second part 3 can be easily removed by removing the nut 116 and removing the U-shaped bolt 115. However, in the present invention, the holding mechanism for holding the second portion 3 of the mooring rope protection device 1 on the upper surface 106A of the base 106 is not limited to the above-described configuration. For example, although not shown, it is also possible to attach a U-shaped bolt 115 directly to the upper surface 6A of the base 106 so that it covers the second portion 3 of the mooring rope protection device 1 placed on the upper surface 6A of the base 106, thereby holding the second portion 3 of the mooring rope protection device 1 in a state where the second portion 3 can be attached or detached as needed.

[0029] 3 to 6, the mooring rope protection device 1 has a connecting portion 31 protruding radially from the second portion 3 near the end opposite to the first portion 2, and a connecting portion 32 protruding radially from the second portion 3 at a portion closer to the first portion 2. In this embodiment, the connecting portion 31 and the connecting portion 32 are substantially inverted U-shaped or semi-circular. After a linear member 5 or a linear member 6, such as a chain, is passed through the through holes 31a and 32a, the ends of the linear members 5 and 6 are tied together to form a ring, or the linear members 5 and 6 are wound around the connecting portion 31 and the connecting portion 32, respectively.

[0030] 3 to 6, a connecting portion 130 that can be connected to the linear members 5 and 6 is provided on the upper surface 106A of the base 106 of the platform 105, on an extension of the direction in which the connecting portions 31 and 32 of the second section 3 are aligned. As shown in particular in FIGS. 4 and 6, the connecting portion 130 is configured to include a plate 132 fixed to the upper surface 106A of the base 106 with fasteners 131 such as bolts, and a connecting portion main body 133 that is provided on the plate 132 and has a substantially inverted U-shape or a semi-annular shape, and through which the linear members 5 and 6 can be inserted.

[0031] As a result, when using the retaining mechanism 110 shown in the figure, for example, at least when performing maintenance on the mooring rope protection device 1, a linear element 5 or a linear element 6 such as a chain can be attached to the connecting elements 31 and 32 of the second element 3 and the connecting part 130 of the base 106, and the nut 116 on the U-shaped bolt 115 can be loosened to make the second element 3 rotatable around its axis.Then, from the operational state of the mooring rope protection device 1 shown in Figure 5(a), as shown in Figure 5(b), the second element 3 can be rotated around its axis so that the tip 21 of the first element 2 faces sideways.Furthermore, by pulling the linear elements 5 and 6 such as chains in the direction of the outline arrows as shown in Figure 5(c), both the first element 2 and the second element 3 of the mooring rope protection device 1 can be raised above the upper surface 106A of the base 106. As a result, it becomes possible to simplify the maintenance work for the mooring rope protection device 1.

[0032] 7, the mooring rope protection device 1 can be configured such that a fall prevention linear member 7, such as a rope having a length of, for example, 7 m to 10 m, is attached by fixing or the like to the end 33 of the second section 3 located on the opposite side from the first section 2. Then, a pillar-shaped portion 140 can be provided on the upper surface 106A of the base 106, for example, standing upward so as to be on an axial extension of the second section 3 of the mooring rope protection device 1, and the fall prevention linear member 7, such as a rope, can be fixed or wound around the pillar-shaped portion 140, thereby attaching the fall prevention linear member 7 to the pillar-shaped portion 140. With this configuration, it is possible to prevent the mooring rope protection device 1 from falling from the base 106 into the sea.

[0033] When such a mooring rope protection device 1 is installed on the base 106 of the platform 105, the first part 2 is positioned so that, during operation, it overlaps with or is near the boundary line L between the vertical surface 106B and the vertical surface 106C, and the tip 21 of the first part 2 is lower than a predetermined position, such as the position C3 of the mean low water level during spring tides at the port facility 100.Even if the mooring rope 200 floating or drifting on the sea surface moves toward the base 106 of the platform 105 and tries to get under the base 106, it will come into contact with the first part 2 of the mooring rope protection device 1, making it possible to prevent the mooring rope 200 from getting under the base 106. In addition, since the mooring rope 200 can be prevented from coming into contact with the platform 105 when the rope is being retrieved by having the mooring rope 200 come into contact with the mooring rope protection device 1 first, it is possible to prevent the mooring rope 200 from being damaged when tension is applied to the mooring rope 200. [Explanation of symbols]

[0034] 1. Mooring rope protection device 2. First part 21 Tip 3 Second part 31 Connection part 32 Connection site 33 edge 5, 6 Linear members 7 Linear element for fall prevention 100 Port facilities 102 Mooring Dolphin, MD (Mooring Structure) 103 Mooring Dolphin, MD (Mooring Structure) 105 Platform (loading structure) 106 units 106A Top 106B, 106C elevation 107 Column section 110 Retention mechanism 130 Connection section 140 Columnar part 200 Mooring rope S Large LNG carrier (ship)

Claims

1. The structure is configured to have a platform with a flat upper surface and columns that support the platform from below, and is used in a port facility that has a cargo handling structure used for loading and unloading ships, and a plurality of mooring structures that are arranged on either side of the cargo handling structure and that can be used to hang mooring ropes for mooring the ships, A mooring rope protection device that is provided on the platform of the cargo handling structure and prevents the mooring rope from contacting the cargo handling structure, a first portion extending vertically along the vertical surface of the platform of the loading and unloading structure, and a second portion extending horizontally along the upper surface of the platform of the loading and unloading structure, A mooring rope protection device characterized in that the tip of the first portion, when extending vertically along the vertical surface of the platform of the loading and unloading structure, is positioned further below a predetermined position that is below the platform of the loading and unloading structure.

2. The mooring rope protection device described in claim 1, characterized in that the second part is held on the upper surface of the platform of the loading and unloading structure by a holding mechanism so that the second part can rotate and move axially, and has a connecting part, and the connecting part and a connecting portion provided on the upper surface of the platform of the loading and unloading structure are connected via a linear member.

3. A mooring rope protection device as described in claim 1 or claim 2, characterized in that a fall prevention linear member is attached to the end of the second portion opposite to the first portion, and the fall prevention linear member is also attached to a column-shaped portion provided on the top surface of the platform of the loading and unloading structure.

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