Patent ID: 7021865

Claim:
An apparatus for restricting bending moments occurring in an offshore pipeline secured to a hang-off connection point on a floating vessel as part of an underwater laying or recovery operation, the bending moments arising below said connection point, the apparatus comprising an auxiliary elongate member one end of which is in use secured to the vessel and the other end of which is in use connected to the pipeline at a position below the connection point, wherein the auxiliary elongate member is flexible to such an extent as to permit up to a predetermined amount of radial movement of the pipeline, and corresponding restriction of the bending moments, in use thereof, wherein at the other end of the auxiliary elongate member is a clamp through which the pipeline is axially movable but which serves to position the pipeline radially, wherein the auxiliary elongate member is a pipe whose structural properties are selected to provide a predetermined amount of flexibility, and wherein the apparatus for restricting bending moments engages the pipeline only with the clamp.