Patent ID: 6843511

Claim:
A coupler for connecting a marine loading arm to a flange of a marine tanker, said coupler comprising: a body adapted to engage the flange; a plurality of jaws pivotally coupled to the body and shiftable between a disengaged position wherein the jaws are disengaged from the flange and an engaged position wherein the jaws engage the flange and secure the body to the flange; a collar rotatably mounted on the body and operable to shift the jaws between the engaged position and the disengaged position via rotation of the collar relative to the body; and a mechanical lock shiftable between an unlocked position wherein the mechanical lock is decoupled from the body and the collar and a locked position wherein the mechanical lock is coupled to the body and the collar, said mechanical lock being operable to substantially prevent rotation of the collar relative to the body when the mechanical lock is in the locked position, said body presenting a first coupling element projecting outwardly from the body, said collar presenting a second coupling element projecting outwardly from the collar, said mechanical lock defining first and second spaced-apart openings, said first and second coupling elements being received in the first and second openings respectively when the mechanical lock is in the locked position.