Patent ID: 8376042

Claim:
A method for installing an expandable tubular in a subsea wellbore, wherein said expandable tubular is assembled from expandable tubular segments, said expandable tubular being adapted to be expanded diametrically when positioned in said wellbore by means of expansion tooling, wherein a multitude of expandable tubular segments are provided, and wherein use is made of a surface vessel, said vessel comprising: at least one assembly station adapted for the assembly of at least one intermediate tubular assembly by interconnection of multiple expandable tubular segments, an intermediate tubular assembly suspension storage device adapted for storage of one or more intermediate tubular assemblies, said intermediate tubular assemblies being suspended from the vessel into the water by said storage device, a guide and handling system for intermediate tubular assemblies, said guide and handling system having an entry and an exit, said entry being spaced from said exit, the entry being arranged and adapted to receive a suspended intermediate tubular assembly from the storage device, the system being adapted for the upward feeding of said intermediate tubular assembly from the entry towards a top of the system, and then downwards to the exit, said system further being adapted for launching the intermediate tubular assembly downward from said exit into the water towards and into the wellbore, wherein the guide and handling system comprises a curved guide structure between said entry and said exit for guiding the intermediate tubular assembly through one or more curves, causing plastic deformation of the intermediate tubular assembly when going through the curved guide structure causing plastic deformation of the intermediate tubular assembly when passing along the curved guide structure, a connecting station adapted for connecting an intermediate tubular assembly to another intermediate tubular assembly, and a straightener arrangement for straightening a plastically deformed intermediate tubular assembly.