Patent ID: 8104417

Claim:
A soft yoke device for connecting a transport vessel to a floating processing station, wherein the soft yoke comprises at least two telescoping soft yoke mooring arms, and wherein each telescoping soft yoke mooring arm comprises: a. an upper connecting mount for engaging the soft yoke device to the floating processing station; b. a lower connecting mount for engaging the soft yoke device to the floating processing station; c. a turn table connected to the lower connecting mount; d. a king post engaged with the turn table and the upper connecting mount; e. a boom connected to the turn table and to at least one luffing wire, wherein each luffing wire engages a turn down sheave mounted to the king post; f. a tensioner for each luffing wire; g. a jib telescopically contained within the boom and connected to at least one centralizing cylinder for controlling a position of the jib within the boom when the floating processing station and the transport vessel are affected by wave motion, current motion, wind motion, transport ship dynamics, floating processing station dynamics, or combinations thereof, wherein the jib assists in maintaining a nominal standoff position by holding the transport vessel at a predefined distance from the floating processing station, and wherein the jib and the boom form a gangway for moving personnel between the transport vessel and the floating processing station; h. a yoke offload flexible conduit for flexibly transferring a fluid from the floating processing station to the transport vessel; i. a yoke vapor return flexible conduit for flexibly transferring hydrocarbon vapor formed during offloading back to the floating processing station from the transport vessel; j. a primary quick connect/disconnect connector for engaging mooring brackets of the transport vessel; and k. a secondary emergency disconnect connector to allow quick connect/disconnect or emergency disconnect of the transport vessel.