Tandem and side-by-side mooring offlaoding systems and associated methods

Abstract

A mooring system comprising: an offshore structure comprising one or more hawsers; a vessel; a first mooring line; and a second mooring line.

1 . A mooring system comprising: an offshore structure comprising one or more hawsers; a vessel; a first mooring line; and a second mooring line. 
     
     
         2 . The mooring system of  claim 1 , wherein the offshore structure is a floating liquid natural gas facility. 
     
     
         3 . The mooring system of  claim 1 , wherein the vessel is a liquid natural gas carrier vessel. 
     
     
         4 . The mooring system of  claim 1 , wherein the first and second mooring lines are anchored to a sea floor. 
     
     
         5 . The mooring system of  claim 1 , wherein the first and second mooring lines each comprise a buoy and a marker buoy. 
     
     
         6 . The mooring system of  claim 1 , wherein the first and second mooring lines are connected to each other via a chord line. 
     
     
         7 . The mooring system of  claim 1 , wherein the vessel is connected to the first mooring line, the second mooring line, and the one or more hawsers. 
     
     
         8 . The mooring system of  claim 7 , wherein the vessel and the offshore structure are parallel to each other. 
     
     
         9 . The mooring system of  claim 7 , wherein the vessel and the offshore structure are perpendicular to each other. 
     
     
         10 . A method for mooring a vessel comprising: providing a vessel; providing an offshore structure comprising one or more hawsers; providing a first mooring line; providing a second mooring line; attaching the first mooring line to the vessel; attaching the second mooring line to the vessel; and attaching the one or more hawsers to the vessel. 
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 10 , wherein the offshore structure is a floating liquid natural gas facility. 
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 10  wherein the vessel is a liquid natural gas carrier vessel. 
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 10 , wherein the first and second mooring lines are anchored to a sea floor. 
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 10 , wherein the first and second mooring lines each comprise a buoy and a marker buoy. 
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 10 , wherein the first and second mooring lines are connected to each other via a chord line. 
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 10 , further comprising orienting the vessel parallel with the offshore structure. 
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 10 , further comprising orienting the vessel perindicular to the offshore structure. 
     
     
         18 . A method for offloading oil and/or gas from a structure comprising: providing a side-by-side mooring system comprising an offshore structure comprising two hawsers, a vessel, a first mooring line, and a second mooring line, connecting the vessel to the first mooring line, the second mooring line, and the two hawsers in a side-by-side arrangement; transferring oil and/or gas from the structure to the vessel; and disconnecting the vessel from the first mooring line, the second mooring line, and the two hawsers. 
     
     
         19 . A method for offloading oil and/or gas from a structure comprising: providing a tandem mooring system comprising an offshore structure comprising a hawser, a vessel, a first mooring line, a second mooring line, and a hawser; connecting the vessel to the first mooring line, the second mooring line, and the hawser in a tandem arrangement; transferring oil and/or gas from the structure to the vessel; and
 disconnecting the vessel from the first mooring line, the second mooring line, and the hawser.