Patent ID: 8490563

Claim:
A vessel for receiving a dry gas, forming a liquefied natural gas, and offloading the liquefied natural gas, the vessel comprising: a. a floating liquefaction vessel comprising: (i) a floating liquefaction vessel hull; (ii) a plurality of mooring lines connecting the floating liquefaction vessel hull to a seabed; (iii) a dry gas inlet conduit for receiving the dry gas from a pretreatment source; (iv) a heat exchanger for cooling the dry gas from the dry gas inlet conduit; (v) a liquefaction train supported by the floating liquefaction vessel hull for cooling the dry gas in the heat exchanger, wherein the heat exchanger forms the liquefied natural gas; (vi) an offload flexible outlet conduit for flowing the liquefied natural gas from the heat exchanger to a transport vessel; (vii) a vapor return flexible conduit for communicating a hydrocarbon vapor formed during offloading from the transport vessel back to the floating liquefaction vessel, wherein the vapor return flexible conduit is in fluid communication with the heat exchanger; and (viii) a floating liquefaction vessel controller for monitoring the dry gas inlet conduit, the heat exchanger, the offload flexible outlet conduit, and the vapor return flexible conduit; and b. a connecting device for connecting the transport vessel to the floating liquefaction vessel, wherein the connecting device comprises: (i) a connecting mount engaging the connecting device with the floating liquefaction vessel; (ii) a telescoping walkway comprising an inner walkway telescopically contained within an outer walkway, wherein the inner walkway is configured to extend and retract from the outer walkway when the floating liquefaction vessel and the transport vessel are connected together and are affected by wave motion, current motion, wind motion, transport vessel dynamics, floating liquefaction vessel dynamics, or combinations thereof, and wherein the inner walkway and outer walkway are configured for moving personnel and equipment between the transport vessel and the floating liquefaction vessel; (iii) a walkway offload flexible conduit for flowing the liquefied natural gas from the floating liquefaction vessel; and (iv) a walkway vapor return flexible conduit for flowing the hydrocarbon vapor formed during offloading from the transport vessel back to the floating liquefaction vessel.