page_title: VB-10,000 (ship)
hierarchical_section_title: VB-10,000 (ship)
caption_attribution_description: English: Jackets from decommissioned oil and gas platforms being deployed as artificial reefs off the coast of Louisiana. Photos provided by Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries
context_page_description: 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, which was developed to clear debris from toppled oil drilling platforms in the Gulf of Mexico. Instead of sending divers to section the wreckage into pieces, the heavy-lift capability facilitates salvaging the platform as a single piece. The primary benefit is increasing safety by reducing the number of high-risk diving activities, but substantial cost savings can be realized by reducing the number of lifts and shortening the decommissioning schedule.
  VB-10,000 is the largest lift vessel ever built in the United States. The color and shape of the trusses on VB-10,000 have prompted comparisons to the famed McDonald's signature Golden Arches.
context_section_description: 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), which was developed to clear debris from toppled oil drilling platforms in the Gulf of Mexico. Instead of sending divers to section the wreckage into pieces, the heavy-lift capability facilitates salvaging the platform as a single piece. The primary benefit is increasing safety by reducing the number of high-risk diving activities, but substantial cost savings can be realized by reducing the number of lifts and shortening the decommissioning schedule.
  VB-10,000 is the largest lift vessel ever built in the United States. The color and shape of the trusses on VB-10,000 have prompted comparisons to the famed McDonald's signature Golden Arches.
caption: VB-10,000 prepares to place a decommissioned jacket as an artificial reef off the coast of Louisiana
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