Patent ID: 9727057
Date: 2017-08-08
CPC Classifications: B63B,B63H,B63J,G05D

Claim:
1. A method of maintaining positioning between vessels comprising: monitoring a relative position between a storage tank vessel and a shuttle tanker with a control system in operative communication with the storage tank vessel and the shuttle tanker, wherein the control system controls thrusters of the storage tank vessel or the shuttle tanker or both and the storage tank vessel fixed about a storage tank vessel bow region and operatively coupled to the shuttle tanker with an offload hose extending from a storage tank vessel stern region to a shuttle tanker bow region; inputting physical property data relating to the storage tank vessel and the shuttle tanker to the control system; processing one or more environmental condition data related to wind or water with the control system; controlling at least one positioning action to be taken by the storage tank vessel and the shuttle tanker via the control system utilizing the thrusters of the storage tank vessel or the shuttle tanker or both based on the physical property data and the one or more environmental condition data; and maintaining an angular differential between the storage tank vessel and the shuttle tanker within a predetermined limit with the at least one positioning action.