is suspended from the structure and includes a bottom hole assembly adapted to form a top hole portion of the well bore a drilling fluid source on the offshore structure supplies drilling fluid through the drill string to the bottom hole assembly where the drilling fluid exits from the bottom hole assembly during drilling and returns up the well bore a suction module is disposed at the sea floor and collects the drilling fluid emerging from the well bore a pump module is disposed on a return line which is in fluid communication with the suction module at a position below the water surface and above the sea floor the pump module is operable to receive drilling fluid from the suction module and pump the drilling fluid through the return pipe to the same offshore structure or a different offshore structure application_number US 83301007 A description various embodiments of the invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings wherein like reference numerals are used for like parts throughout the several views the drawing figures are not necessarily to scale certain features of the invention may be shown exaggerated in scale or in somewhat schematic form and some details of conventional elements may not be shown in the interest of clarity and conciseness preferred embodiments of the invention relate to riserless mud return systems used in the recycling of drilling fluid the invention is susceptible to embodiments of different forms there are shown in the drawings and herein will be described in detail specific embodiments of the invention with the understanding that the disclosure.