Stinger (Pipe-Lay)

A stinger is the curved truss structure that extends from the stern of an S-lay pipe-lay vessel to support the pipeline as it leaves the firing line and curves down toward the seabed, controlling the overbend radius in the upper part of the S-shaped lay catenary. Fitted with adjustable rollers and articulated to set the departure radius, the stinger keeps bending strain below the pipe’s yield limit while the tensioners hold the lower (sag-bend) catenary. Stinger geometry is matched to water depth, pipe diameter, and wall thickness per DNV-ST-F101 installation analysis.