APPARATUS FOR MAINTENANCE OF OIL RIG LEGS

摘要

In the area just above and below the surface of the water the swell is so bad that no divers or boats can get to the area to clean the legs. According to the invention there is provided apparatus (1) for maintenance of a length of an oil rig leg (2) in situ comprising a sleeve-like vessel (3) for surrounding a given length of an oil rig leg, and including a releaseable leg clamp for detachably clamping the vessel to the oil rig leg; the sleeve-like vessel consisting of at least two pieces (5, 6) which are clamped together by clamps which are capable of being released to allow separation of the two pieces to allow removal of the vessel from the oil rig leg (2), the vessel being arranged to define a space between the leg and the inner wall of the vessel, which extends around the periphery of the leg and is large enough to allow an operator to access the whole surface of the given length of the leg to maintain it, and the vessel also including a base at its lower end which spans the space between the inner wall of the vessel and the surface of the leg; the apparatus also including an entrance (11) to allow entry of an operator (10) and a pump for pumping water out of an output opening in the vessel.