OFFSHORE STRUCTURES

AN OFFSHORE STRUCTURE (E.G. FOR AN OFFSHORE LOADING TOWER) HAVING A CENTRAL COLUMN (24) ARRANGED TO EXTEND VERTICALLY UPWARDS WHEN THE STRUCTURE IS INSTALLED OFFSHORE, AND IN WHICH THERE ARE AT LEAST THREE FEET (10) ADAPTED TO REST ON A SEABED AND AT LEAST THREE LEGS (11) EXTENDING UPWARDLY AND INWARDLY FROM RESPECTIVE FEET TO AN APEX (12) WHICH IS BELOW THE WAVE EFFECTED ZONE WHEN THE STRUCTURE IS INSTALLED OFFSHORE, THE APEX OF THE LEGS SUPPORTS AN INTERMEDIATE POINT ON THE HEIGHT OF THE COLUMN, AN A LOWER POINT (23) ON THE HEIGHT OF THE COLUMN IS STABILLISED BY BRACING EXTENDING FROM POSITIONS (19) ON THE AT LEAST THREE LEGS BETWEEN THE FEET AND THE APEX, SUCH THAT THE LOWER END OF THE COLUMN IS SUPPORTED A SIGNIFICANT DISTANCE ABOVE THE SEABED.(FIG. 2)