Valve station for interconnecting boreholes in a seabed

Claim 1

In combination for off-shore extraction of oil: a tanker; a submerged floating buoy; means for anchoring said buoy to a seabed and means for connecting said buoy to said tanker for mooring said tanker; said tanker having means defining a downwardly open shaft space therein for receiving said buoy; said connecting means comprising interengaged bearing means on said buoy and said tanker for retaining said buoy in a predetermined position relative to said tanker at the underside of said tanker and in coupled relationship with said shaft space for movement with said tanker while allowing rotation of said tanker about said buoy; a plurality of separate first pipeline means for separately connecting said buoy to respective boreholes on said seabed; second pipeline means for connecting said buoy to said tanker; high pressure swivel means for rotatably connecting said buoy to said second pipeline means; selectively operable valve means located within said buoy and within said shaft space for separately controlling flow between individual ones of said first pipeline means and said second pipeline means; said selectively operable valve means including means for testing and processing an extracted medium flowing through any of said first pipeline means; and means on said buoy for providing access to said valve means through said shaft space for maintenance and repair of said valve means.