Patent ID: 8430171

Claim:
A method for sealing an opening of a sub-sea wellbore at a wellhead, comprising the steps of: placing and affixing at least one looped deflection element on or adjacent to the wellhead; lowering a head end of at least one guiding cable from a first offshore vessel or platform above the wellhead in a first direction towards the wellhead; threading the head end of the at least one guiding cable through the at least one looped deflection element, thereby slideably attaching the at least one guiding cable to the at least one looped deflection element, wherein the at least one looped deflection element forms a directional point of reversal for the head end of the at least one guiding cable and creates a boundary between a pulling section of the at least one guiding cable and a lowering section of the at least one guiding cable, wherein the pulling section of the cable extends from the at least one looped deflection element to the head end, wherein the lowering section is attached to the first offshore vessel or platform and extends from the first offshore vessel or platform to the at least one looped deflection element; raising the head end of the at least one guiding cable, thereby allowing the pulling section of the at least one guiding cable to continue travel from the at least one looped deflection element in a second direction towards the first offshore vessel or platform while cable from the lowering section of the at least one guiding cable continues to be supplied from the first offshore vessel or platform toward the at least one looped deflection element; connecting the head end of the at least one guiding cable to the first offshore vessel or platform; lowering a sealing element, having at least one fixing point fastened to the lowering section of the at least one guiding cable, towards the wellhead by raising the pulling section of the at least one guiding cable in the second direction towards the first offshore vessel or platform; continuing to raise the pulling section of the at least one guiding cable until the sealing element is placed in a sealing position on the opening of the wellhead and the wellbore is sealed with the sealing element.