Semi-submersible pipelaying craft equipped for laying pipes on sea beds, including deep beds, and the method of operation

Abstract From the Canadian patent

A semi-submersible pipelaying watercraft is disclosed, which is particularly suitable for operating under particularly hostile marine environments said watercraft comprising a composite ramp of special construction for launching the pipe to be laid a system, for determining the craft's position and a control system, governed by electronic computers for automatically positioning the craft. An internal inclinable ramp is coactively combined with an external ramp and the internal ramp is equipped with a locking system and with a displacing system, hydraulic controls being provided for moving both the internal and external ramps. The electronic computers are two and one of them makes the …