Patent ID: 7771245

Claim:
An assembly of buoys or floaters for a flexible submarine pipe, the assembly comprising a plurality of buoys or floaters installable one after the other on at least one section of the flexible submarine pipe: securing apparatus configured and operable for securing the buoys or floaters in the translational sense on the section of pipe, the securing apparatus comprising a hitching line connecting all of the buoys or floaters, the buoys or floaters being secured in the translational sense on the hitching line for maintaining the buoys or floaters in positions one after the other on the hitching line; and connecting devices configured for maintaining the hitching line extended along the section of pipe, whereby the buoys or floaters secured on the hitching line are secured in the translational sense in relation to the section of pipe; each of the buoys or floaters has a first transcurrent hole therethrough to receive the flexible submarine pipe in a freely sliding manner, and each buoy or floater thereby completely surrounding the pipe; each of the buoys or floaters includes a second peripheral transcurrent hole, the hitching line passing through the buoys or floaters via the second peripheral transcurrent holes thereof; each of the buoys or floaters is comprised of two separable semi-floaters that are mutually symmetrical in relation to an axial plane P, the semi-floaters being capable of reassembly to form the respective buoy or floater, the first transcurrent hole and the second peripheral transcurrent hole of each buoy or floater being divided respectively axially into two mutually symmetrical sections in relation to the axial plane P, with one section in one of the semi-floaters and another section in the other of the semi-floaters.