A riser assembly and method of producing a riser assembly for transporting fluids from a sub-sea location is disclosed. The assembly includes a riser comprising at least one segment of flexible pipe, the riser having a first end for connection to a floating facility and a further end; at least one buoyancy element for enabling a portion of the riser to form a hog bend configuration and an adjacent portion of the riser to form a sag bend configuration; and a weight element provided between the first end of the riser and the at least one buoyancy element, such that in an initial deployment position, the weight element is provided at least partially in the sag bend portion of the riser.