Patent ID: 8851797

Claim:
A cantilever skidding system suitable for an offshore drilling system comprising: a plurality of aft guides slidably disposed on an aft transverse skidding rail; a plurality of forward guides slidably disposed on a forward transverse skidding rail; a plurality of forward hold down guides slidably disposed on a forward hold down rail; a plurality of skid driving mechanisms; a plurality of longitudinal skidding supports slidably attached to a proximate cantilever; and a plurality of transverse skidding supports slidably attached on the aft and forward transverse skidding rails, wherein the plural aft and forward guides accommodate the cantilever and enable the aft and forward transverse skidding rails to support the cantilever, wherein the plural forward hold down guides provide hold down forces for the cantilever, and wherein each of the plurality of the skid driving mechanisms is coupled at one end thereof to one of the plural aft or forward guides and coupled at the other end thereof to one of the plural longitudinal or transverse skidding supports to thereby allow both longitudinal and transverse movement of the cantilever.