MY132193A - Buoyant platform - Google Patents

Abstract

A FLOATING PLATFORM COMPRISING IN COMBINATION A SEMISUBMERSIBLE VESSEL HAVING TWO OR MORE PONTOONS (10), BUOYANT COLUMNS (11) UPSTANDING FROM THOSE PONTOONS AND A DECK (12) SUPPORTED ON THE COLUMNS (THE SEMISUBMERSIBLE VESSEL BEING OF A KIND KNOWN PER SE); AND A RAFT (21) IN WHICH THE RAFT COMPRISES A HULL (22) HAVING A PLANFORM GREATER THAN THE PLANFORM OF THE VESSEL AND TWO OR MORE BUOYANT CAISSONS (23) DISPOSED AT OR NEAR LATERAL EXTREMITIES OF THE RAFT (21) AND CONFIGURED SO THAT THE RAFT IS CAPABLE OF FLOATING IN A STABLE ATTITUDE WITH THE HULL OF THE RAFT SUBMERGED TO SUCH A DEPTH THAT THE VESSEL CAN FLOAT OVER THE HULL OF THE RAFT WITH ONLY THE BUOYANT CAISSONS (23) OF THE RAFT PIERCING THE WATER SURFACE, IN WHICH THE PONTOONS (10) OF THE VESSEL ARE SECURED TO UPPER SURFACES OF THE HULL (22), AND DRILLING FACILITIES (32) ON THE VESSEL CAN BE USED TO DRILL AND COMPLETE WELLS (24) WITH SURFACE WELLHEADS WHICH CAN SUBSEQUENTLY BE TRANSFERRED TO AN CONNECTED TO RAFT MOUNTED PRODUCTION EQUIPMENT (25). (FIG. 1)