Patent ID: 7850397

Claim:
A marine J-lay pipelaying system for use on a vessel for laying an offshore pipeline, wherein the system comprises: a J-lay tower; pipe section support and alignment means, which pipe section support and alignment means are adapted to support a pipe section in alignment with an uppermost end of a previously launched pipeline; a pipe connecting station, wherein said pipe section is connected to the uppermost end of the previously launched pipeline; J-lay tower bearing means which allow for the pivoting of the J-lay tower with respect to the vessel about at least one pivot axis; pipeline support means for supporting the weight of the previously launched pipeline; wherein the J-lay tower has a free-pivotal mode wherein the J-lay tower is freely pivotable about said at least one pivot axis with respect to the vessel so that the J-lay tower has in a plane defined by said at least one pivot axis an orientation essentially independent from sea-state induced vessel motions; a pipe section loader which is moveable between a loading position, wherein a new pipe section is received by the pipe section loader, and an erected position, wherein the new pipe section is essentially aligned with the J-lay tower; wherein the marine J-lay pipelaying system further comprises an automatic synchronising system associated with the pipe section loader, which automatic synchronising system causes —when the pipe section loader is moved from the loading position to the erected position —a synchronised pivotal motion of the pipe section loader with respect to the J-lay tower when said J-lay tower is in the free-pivotal mode —at the latest as the pipe section loader reaches the erected position thereof—, so that the new pipe section received by the pipe section loader is aligned with the J-lay tower is in its free-pivotal mode.