Fall-Pipe Vessel

A fall-pipe vessel is a dynamically positioned rock-installation vessel that places graded rock on the seabed through a flexible vertical pipe (the fall pipe) suspended from a moonpool or stern, with a remotely operated vehicle steering the pipe’s lower end to a survey-controlled position. The fall pipe contains the rock plume against current, giving accurate berm geometry over pipelines, cables, and subsea structures for stabilization and protection. Placement accuracy of better than a meter is routine on modern units. It is the precise alternative to side-stone (side-dumping) rock placement.