ARTICULATED LOADING PLATFORM. Plataforma de Carregamento Articulada. An articulated loading platform, Figure 1, normally consists of a column that is attached to a gravity base structure on the seabed by a universal joint assembly that allows it to articulate around the x-y axis. A rotating head weighing in the region of 350 tonnes, sits on the column at a sufficient height above the sea surface to avoid contact with the 100 year wave. Risers are routed partly inside the column and through a swivel joint to the end of a loading boom that is part of the loading head. From there, normally, a 20” flexible hose in the region of 80 or 90 metres long connects with the loading manifold.