Methods for installation, connection to, and use of anchors for mooring of
marine structures, especially although not exclusively for gravity
installed anchors, and accompanying apparatus. One embodiment comprises
an anchor having recovery and load lines attached thereto, both lines
held by a trailing buoy and with subsea connectors at their upper ends,
held up by the buoy. The trailing buoy is held in a release frame, the
anchor is lowered to a desired height above a seabed, then the release
mechanism is shifted and the anchor is permitted to free fall and
penetrate into the seabed. The trailing buoy and subsea connectors remain
above the seabed, and a mooring line from a structure can be connected to
the load line via the subsea connector. A second embodiment comprises a
launch frame attached to the lowering line. A length of chain or rope is
looped from the base of the launch frame to a remote release near the end
of the launch frame arm, and from there to a recovery line assembly
connected to the anchor. A load line assembly is also connected to the
anchor. Once the anchor is lowered to a desired height, the remote
release is actuated, and the anchor plunges downward into the seabed.
Subsea connectors on both the recovery line assembly and the load line
assembly permit attachment and detachment of the lowering line and the
mooring line. The apparatus and method of this invention requires only a
single vessel and a single deployment line.