A method for lowering a load to a bed of a body of water

摘要

A method is disclosed for lowering a load to a bed of a body of water. An assembly is formed from a buoyancy apparatus 10 and a payload 40 such that the buoyancy apparatus renders the assembly positively buoyant. The assembly is submerged to a position at a first height above the bed, a control weight 58 is then deployed from a vessel 50 to the assembly to overcome the positive buoyancy of the assembly, thereby lowering the payload from the first height to the bed. A method for raising a payload from a bed is also disclosed as the reverse of the lowering method. An apparatus and an assembly for lowering a load to a bed of a body of water are also disclosed.