Quick disconnect storage production terminal

Claim 1

An offshore terminal comprising: a vessel which floats at the sea surface; a transfer structure having a rotatable frame rigidly fixed to said vessel, and a nonrotatable frame which is supported on said rotatable frame to permit relative rotation about a vertical axis while resisting relative vertical movement to transfer forces between them; means loosely anchoring said nonrotatable transfer structure, including a plurality of lines having lower ends anchored at spaced locations to the sea floor and upper ends attached to said nonrotatable transfer structure portion; and a fluid conduit structure extending from the sea floor through said nonrotatable transfer structure portion to said vessel; at least part of said nonrotatable transfer structure which is attached to said lines, being detachable from the rest of said transfer structure and being constructed to sink clear of said vessel to a stable underwater depth which is above the sea floor; said transfer structure including a rotatable bearing connecting said rotatable and nonrotatable frames, said bearing including a rotatable part mounted on said rotatable frame and a nonrotatable part; said transfer structure also including a detachable fastener connecting said nonrotatable bearing part to said nonrotatable frame, said nonrotatable frame being constructed so it can sink when said fastener is detached therefrom, whereby the entire bearing is left with the rotatable frame when the nonrotatable frame is sunk.