Floating terminal and method of loading and unloading

Abstract

The present invention relates to a product and a method for loading ships without them having to dock in a harbour on land or in a non-floating (fixed) terminal on water. The invention encompasses a product in the form of a special structure for loading and unloading ships and a method associated with said structure. Together, these make it possible to achieve the aims described above.

Description

FLOATING TERMINAL AND LOADING AND UNLOADING PROCESS DESCRIPTIVE REPORT FIELD OF INVENTION

[0001] The present invention discloses a product and a method for loading ships without requiring them to dock at a land-based port or a non-floating (fixed) terminal on water. The invention comprises a product in the form of a special structure for loading and unloading ships and a method that accompanies the described structure. Together, they enable the described objectives. PREVIOUS EVENTS

[0002] Loading and unloading ships at ports can be costly, time-consuming, and cumbersome. Today's growing maritime and river transportation needs demand more agile solutions. Some techniques have been tried in the past, but they haven't truly solved the problem, especially in terms of current maritime transportation demands.

[0003] The invention registered under number W02017215053 (A1) with the title "TRANSPORTATION TERMINAL" dated 06 / 07 / 2016, deals with a mooring system for oil tankers to receive oil or derivatives tied to a monobuoy next to a platform. However, this system cannot be used for moving solid bulk cargo because it exclusively employs pumping for fluids.

[0004] The invention registered under number W02013149312 (A1) with the title "FLOATING OCEANIC TERMINAL, OR SOFT TERMINAL, WITH ENVIROMENTAL CONDITIONS ATTENUATING SYSTEM" dated 04 / 05 / 2012, describes an offshore floating terminal intended for support activities for exploration and production operations on offshore oil platforms. However, this system is designed to concentrate the loads to be used on board the platform at a nearby terminal in order to optimize operations, avoiding multiple trips between the land base and the offshore platform.

[0005] The invention, filed under number US3964423 (A) and titled "OFFSHORE TERMINAL" on February 24, 1975, concerns a floating structure for supporting offshore activities, consisting of a system of pipes fixed to the bottom, intended for the petroleum industry. However, this system is designed to allow the mooring of an oil tanker at an offshore floating terminal, providing the entire system with joint movement because both are floating, providing greater safety for the operation of petroleum or oil products. This system is not designed with a structure for loading and unloading grain.

[0006] The invention filed under number BR 102018076626-0, entitled "Offshore Floating Terminal," dated December 19, 2018, discloses a product for unloading two cargo ships. This invention, however, in addition to the limit of up to two cargo ships, also has the problem of not clearly defining the construction or operation process of the terminal. GENERAL DESCRIPTION

[0007] The limitations pointed out in the state of the art, namely:

[0008] 1. Work with only 2 cargo ships (two inner and two outer sides);

[0009] 2. Failure to define the operating process as part of the invention itself since neither of them makes sense in isolation as they jointly define the same inventive concept;

[0010] 3. Failure to define the construction / assembly process of floating terminals in order to, based on the vast experience and expertise in this area, optimize both the construction / assembly process of the terminals and their operation process in the greatest possible diversity of conditions and taking into account whenever possible, the economy and the environment. In the latter case, especially favoring the reuse of hulls and parts in good condition that do not impact safety.

[0011] These limitations have required the development of a new technique, which we will call OTA, which we reveal below.

[0012] This invention concerns a floating (offshore) terminal, OTA, which enables the loading of ships without them having to dock at a port on land or at a non-floating (fixed) terminal on water;

[0013] Loading and unloading at the OTA can be done simultaneously or at different times, on a permanent basis, and will be independent of weather conditions.

[0014] The OTAs, which are the object of this invention, can also be constructed in such a way that they can be aggregated with each other in order to receive more cargo and a greater number of ships and / or river and / or maritime convoys docked.

[0015] The Floating Terminal will provide:

[0016] a) Shelter area suitable for receiving river and / or sea vessels and / or convoys.

[0017] b) Operational resources that guarantee, on a permanent and safe basis, 24-hour operation, under prevailing meteorological, weather and sea conditions, in the areas established for their implementation.

[0018] Structurally, the OTA itself is an ocean installation consisting of:

[0019] 1. Articulation Frame: Its role is to maintain a stable connection between the ships' hulls so that the sides of each ship's hull can be used for loading and unloading operations as needed. This is especially important for OTAs with more than two ship hulls. Figure 1 illustrates an OTA for two ships, and the Articulation Frame can be seen there.

[0020] 2. Hulls of 2 or more ships: preference is given to large ships as will be demonstrated in one of the preferred modalities;

[0021] 3. Mobile or fixed loading and unloading equipment: in the case of OTAs with more than 2 ship hulls, this equipment is extremely important as it ensures that, regardless of the number of external sides, the OTA can receive ships for loading and unloading that will eventually be allocated to other positions.

[0022] 4. Aggregation System: OTAs must be able to be aggregated with each other to meet loading and unloading needs. The Aggregation System, often based on existing technology, allows the OTA to be scalable.

[0023] 5. Electrical, electronic, and computer equipment: In principle, each OTA's operation can receive electronic and computer support, both in identifying and allocating each vessel and in the actual loading and unloading of cargo. This entire operation can be performed either manually or virtually entirely automated.

[0024] The process derived from the OTA concept defines that a vessel can berth on one side of a fixed OTA hull, and its counterpart berths on the opposite side of the same hull. This hull-by-pair decision can be made by specific utilization optimization software, which can be especially important in cases where logistics optimization is crucial (OTAs with high frequency of use). Of each pair of vessels, one carries the cargo, and the other will be the receiver. Upon berthing, the loading and unloading process begins with fixed and / or mobile loading and unloading equipment. Once the loading and unloading process is complete, the vessels can unberth from the OTA and continue their respective routes. PREFERRED MODALITIES

[0025] A first preferred embodiment of the OTA is formed by a joint structure involving the hulls of two (2) large former Very Large Bulk class ships. Carrier (VLBC) already in existence (about 350000 Tons each).

[0026] In a second preferred modality, the process of loading and unloading ships at OTA is done completely manually from the point of view of logistics optimization, prioritizing the pairs of ships that will dock.

[0027] In a third preferred modality, the OTA is equipped with an automated and intelligent structure for the loading and unloading process. This process begins with the detection of a ship's berthing and identification of the newly docked vessel, and continues with the movement of the loading and unloading equipment according to the circumstances, the loading and unloading process, and the release of the vessel from its loading and unloading position.

[0028] In a fourth preferred embodiment, the OTA is built with a crimping system to enable the aggregation of more than one hull and therefore the loading and unloading of more than two ships simultaneously.

[0029] In a fifth preferred embodiment, the ship berthing signaling and loading and unloading processes are completely automated and controlled by cloud-based software.

Claims

CLAIMS 1. Floating Terminal characterized by being made up of (1) Articulation Structure, (2) empty hulls of 2 or more ships, (3) Loading and unloading equipment, (4) OTA aggregation system and (5) electrical and electronic equipment that together enable the docking of cargo ships, one of which is loaded and the other unloaded (to receive the cargo from the first), and the unloading of cargo ships without them having to dock at a fixed terminal.

2. Floating Terminal as per claim 1 characterized by a joint structure based on the hulls of two (2) large former Very Large Bulk Carrier (VLBC) class ships already in existence (approximately 350,000 tons each).

3. Loading and Unloading Process characterized by being based on a floating terminal as per claim 1 where a loaded cargo ship docks on one side of the empty hulls of the floating terminal and an unloaded vessel docks on the other side of that same hull, unloading and loading equipment is manually positioned next to the cargo access points of the loaded ships and these start the unloading process by simultaneously passing the cargo to the vessel docked on the other side of the hull, this process being repeated until the loaded ship is completely unloaded or the initially unloaded vessel is loaded.

4. Loading and Unloading Process as per claim 3, characterized by having both the signaling for docking of ships and the positioning and start of the loading and unloading process automated and controlled by cloud-based software.

5. Floating Terminal according to claim 1, characterized by containing an aggregation system that allows working with several OTAs based on pairs of hulls. The aggregation allows the recognition of each pair of aggregated OTAs so that the automated processes can control the loading and unloading logistics in an optimal way.

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