Floating Marine Docking Stations for Weather-Protected Personnel Transport
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional helicopter transport for offshore oil and gas installations is expensive, weather-dependent, and poses safety risks due to open exposure to sea conditions, limiting range and increasing production shutdown costs during extreme weather.
Innovation Solution
A floating installation with integrated, leeward-side docking stations and guiding arrangements, including watertight gates and boarding platforms, allows for safe and efficient transport of personnel and equipment, reducing exposure to weather and enhancing safety by providing a protected docking system.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Speed
If helicopter transport is used for personnel and equipment transport to offshore installations, then transport flexibility and speed are improved, but safety is worsened due to open exposure to weather conditions and sea
Solution Approach 1:
A floating installation serves as an intermediary between the mainland and the offshore installation. It provides a protected docking station with enclosed walkways and corridors, shielding personnel and equipment from direct exposure to harsh sea conditions while maintaining efficient transport routes. The floating installation acts as a buffer zone that combines the advantages of both sea transport and protected land-based facilities.
Solution Approach 2:
The transport system is divided into segments: a seagoing vessel for open water transport, a floating installation with protected docking facilities for intermediate transfer and protection, and then transport to the offshore installation. This segmentation allows personnel to move between protected environments rather than being continuously exposed to open sea conditions.
2Ease of operation
If open docking solutions are used on floating installations, then ease of access is improved, but safety is worsened due to exposure to weather and potential injury risks
Solution Approach 1:
The docking station utilizes enclosed structures with doors and hatches that can be opened or closed as needed. These flexible enclosures provide protection from weather when closed while allowing easy access when opened, combining the benefits of open and enclosed designs. The enclosed corridors and walkways provide continuous protected pathways for personnel movement.
3Device complexity
If conventional helicopter transport is used, then no infrastructure modification is needed, but transport time and cost increase due to weather-dependent operations
Solution Approach 1:
The floating installation is positioned in advance at optimal locations between the mainland and offshore installations. This preliminary positioning allows vessels to dock in protected conditions before final transport to the offshore installation, reducing the need for weather-dependent helicopter operations and minimizing transport time delays.
4Reliability
If protected docking stations are implemented on floating installations, then safety is improved by reducing exposure to weather, but device complexity increases due to structural requirements
Solution Approach 1:
The floating installation's docking station is designed to serve multiple functions: providing protected docking for various types of vessels, offering sheltered transfer areas for personnel and equipment, and serving as a potential intermediate storage or staging area. This multi-functionality justifies the structural complexity by maximizing the utility of the protected space.
Data Source
AI summary
A floating installation for temporarily accommodating objects that are being transported from a first position to a second position located on a marine installation, characterized by the floating installation including at least one marine docking station adapted for the call of a seagoing transport vessel, the at least one docking station being integrated in the installation, at least one helipad and living quarters, and a method of transporting personnel and equipment.