BUOYANCY DEVICE FOR MARINE STRUCTURES
Disclosed is a buoyancy device for tensioning an elongate vertical (or quasi vertical) subsea structure at a point below the sea surface, anchored at its bottom. The device comprises as its main buoyancy elements a plurality of hollow elongate objects, and further comprises at least one auxiliary buoyancy element comprising a solid buoyant material. Ideally, the solid buoyant material provides enough uplift to maintain the device afloat should the main buoyancy elements be flooded. A riser apparatus comprising such a buoyancy device is also described.