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A screenshot of the VB-10000 from video posted by Youtube user Frias-Sky
VB-10000 Breaks Tow, Runs Aground in Mexico
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After completing the historic Golden Ray wreck removal in late October, the U.S.-flagged heavy lift vessel VB-10000 has now run into trouble down in Mexico.
The VB-10000 departed in St. Simons Sound, Georgia in early November shortly after removing the final section of the capsized car carrier . But while under tow to its next job at Mexico’s Ku-Maloob-Zaap oil field, the ship apparently broke from free from its tow lines on January 3 and has grounded just offshore of Cuidad del Carmen, according to a report by Fleetmon.com . There are no crew members on board.
Some drone video of the VB-10000 aground was posted to Youtube late last week.
The VB-10000 has not broadcast AIS since it was in Georgia, but as of Monday was still grounded, according to The Brunswick News .
The VB-10000 served as the workhorse for the Golden Ray wreck removal project, the largest maritime wreck removal in U.S. history. The project involved using the VB-10000 to cut the capsized car carrier into eight sections, which it then lifted onto barges for transport to a recycling facility. The heavy lift catamaran arrived at the site in October 2020 and spent about a year working on the wreck. In May, a major fire erupted inside the Golden Ray, as the VB-10000 towered over it. Thankfully, it was not damaged in the fire.
The VB-10000 was owned and operated by Louisiana-based Versabar up until October 2020 when it was sold to a company called TCM 10,000, Inc., a consortia whose members include, among others, T&T Salvage, who was the prime contractor in the Golden Ray wreck removal.
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Privacy Overview
With the VB-10000 VersaUK can support Heavy Lift solutions of up to 7,500Tn
Since her launch in 2010, the VB-10000 has safely supported 176 lifts in the Gulf of Mexico, both installation and removal projects
With her unique Catamaran system on four blocks, there is no question that the lifting solutions provided by the VB-10000 are cost and time efficient to minimise costly offshore preparatory work
Specification
ABS A1, Barge, HELIDK, DPS-3 & USCG certified HLV
DP3, Eight Retractable 1000 HP Thrustmaster Azimuthing Thrusters
Registered dimensions
LOA 84m x Breadth 95m x Depth 6m
Maximum hook height 53m
50m between barges
Maximum Heavy Lift
Currently rigged for 7,500 short tons
Truss certified up to 10,000 short tons
Spread mooring winches installed for ultra shallow water needs
Heavy Lift operational availability up to 5ft significant wave height and wind speed of up to 30 knots
ABS & USCG hull inspection and re-certification completed in 2019 valid through to 2024
Ideally suited for regions such as the South East Asia, Arabian Gulf, Gulf of Mexico, Southern North Sea, Mediterranean, West Africa and Brazil
VB-10000 Enquiries
For any enquiries, please email us on: [email protected]
The Versabar VB 10,000
About Versabar Versabar was founded in 1981 by University of Illinois Civil Engineering Graduate Jon Khachaturian. Beginning with the reusable spreader bar, Jon has presently registered 44 foreign and domestic patents, leading Versabar to a position of world leadership in the development and application of heavy lifting solutions. Pioneering the disciplines of certified weight measurement and proof load testing, Versabar has expanded its international portfolio to include hydraulic winch and custom chain jack rental, subsea lowering systems, umbilical and riser pull-ins and deployment of subsea jumper bars.
The VB 10,000
The Versabar heavy lift vessel, named the VB 10,000, was built in a span of 12 months and launched in October 2010 from Gulf Marine Fabricators in Ingleside, Texas. With a rated lift capacity of 7,500 tons , the VB 10,000 is the largest lift vessel ever built in the United States .
The innovative VB 10,000 consists of two 240′ tall lift gantries joined to twin 300′ by 72′ barges to form a catamaran. The gantries are connected to the barges by patented articulated pins which decouple barge motion from the gantries. The vessel is equipped with a Class 3 DP system consisting of four 1,000 HP thrusters in each barge which enable it to maneuver on site and hold station in any water depth over 35 feet. The VB 10,000’s four 2,000-ton heavy lift blocks are paired with custom-engineered 400-ton hydraulic winches which may be operated independently or in a synchronized manner.
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The VB-10,000 is a heavy-lift twin-gantry catamaran consisting of two truss space frames atop two barges. The design was derived from Versabar's earlier VB-4000 (aka Bottom Feeder), [1] [2] which was developed to clear debris from toppled oil drilling platforms in the Gulf of Mexico.
The Versabar heavy lift vessel, the VB 10,000, was built in a span of 12 months and launched in October 2010 from Gulf Marine Fabricators in Ingleside, Texas. With a rated lift capacity...
Versabar reports that its VB-10,000, a new catamaran heavy-lift vessel built in the US, has successfully completed its first heavy lift operation in the Gulf of Mexico. On Oct. 7, tugs towed the VB-10,000 through Aransas Pass, Texas, and into the Gulf of Mexico.
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The MPC is built in the form of a large semisubmersible catamaran with two hulls, two deckhouses, four multi-purpose lifting towers, and a connecting deck box. The deck box stops well ahead of the stern, creating a U shape at the aft end of the vessel.
USA-based Berard Transport has offloaded the 1,300-ton (1,179.3-tonne) VB-10,000 lift vessel. The VB-10,000 is a heavy lift twin-gantry catamaran with two truss space frames atop two barges. It was developed to clear debris from toppled oil drilling platforms in the Gulf of Mexico.
After completing the historic Golden Ray wreck removal in late October, the U.S.-flagged heavy lift vessel VB-10000 has now run into trouble down in Mexico.
With the VB-10000 VersaUK can support Heavy Lift solutions of up to 7,500Tn. Since her launch in 2010, the VB-10000 has safely supported 176 lifts in the Gulf of Mexico, both installation and removal projects.
With a rated lift capacity of 7,500 tons, the VB 10,000 is the largest lift vessel ever built in the United States. The innovative VB 10,000 consists of two 240′ tall lift gantries joined to twin 300′ by 72′ barges to form a catamaran.