Patent ID: 6973948

Claim:
An offshore gas unloading system that lies in a sea having a sea surface and a sea floor, wherein a tanker unloads liquified cold hydrocarbons that are gaseous at room temperature, comprising: a floating structure that lies at the sea surface and that is moored so it weathervanes; a regas unit on said floating structure, that heats at least some of the cold hydrocarbons that were received from the tanker; a sea floor platform that lies at the sea floor; a riser that extends from said floating structure to said sea floor platform to carry hydrocarbons from one to the other; said floating structure being connected to said tanker to form a combination of said floating structure and said tanker that weathervane together; at least one mooring line that extends from the sea floor to said combination to moor the combination and allow it to weathervane; an underground cavern and a pipe that is coupled to said cavern and to said riser, to thereby store at least some of the gas in the cavern.