Patent ID: 6983712

Claim:
A mooring arrangement ( 200 ) comprising, a floating storage vessel ( 210 ) having first and second ends and moored in deep water, a shuttle tanker ( 220 ), a submerged yoke ( 230 ) having first and second ends, with said first end of said yoke pendularly coupled to one of said first and second ends of said floating storage vessel ( 210 ) such that said second end of said yoke ( 230 ) is capable of swinging in a lateral arc ( 231 ) about said first end and said yoke is capable of swinging longitudinally with respect to the floating storage vessel, at least one buoyant vertical column ( 261 ) mounted on said submerged yoke ( 230 ), and at least one hawser ( 233 ) extending from said at least one buoyant vertical column ( 210 ) to said shuttle tanker ( 220 ).