In September 2019, the car carrier Golden Ray lost stability and partially capsized as it departed the Port of Brunswick, GA, carrying about 4,200 vehicles. In October 2019, the Golden Ray was declared a total loss, and it was announced that the ship would be cut up in place and scrapped.

But how does one scrap a 660′ long car carrier with a 116′ beam, still loaded with over 4,000 vehicles? To scrap the Golden Ray calls for the “Golden Arches,” Versabar’s VB-10,000 heavy lift catamaran. The VB-10,000 is the largest heavy-lift vessel ever built in the United States, featuring two truss space frames spanning two barges.  The color and shape of the trusses on VB-10,000 have earned it the nickname, Golden Arches, after McDonald’s signature logo.

The heavy-lift was designed to clear debris from toppled oil drilling platforms in the Gulf of Mexico.  VB-10,000 is capable of lifting 7,500 short tons in a single lift. The trusses straddle two 300′ long barges controlled by dynamic positioning thrusters for station-keeping without anchors and mooring lines. 

The USCG video, below, shows the VB-10,000 mooring at the Port of Fernandina, Fla., July 3, 2020, for final modifications and function checks prior to heading to St. Simons Sound in early to mid-July. The two 255-foot tall gantries will use lengths of chain to cut the capsized vessel Golden Ray into eight pieces and lift them onto barges for transportation to Louisiana for recycling.

Giant heavy lift vessel preps for removal of capsized car carrier