- FMA
- The Fabricator
- FABTECH
- Canadian Metalworking
Categories
- Additive Manufacturing
- Aluminum Welding
- Arc Welding
- Assembly and Joining
- Automation and Robotics
- Bending and Forming
- Consumables
- Cutting and Weld Prep
- Electric Vehicles
- En Español
- Finishing
- Hydroforming
- Laser Cutting
- Laser Welding
- Machining
- Manufacturing Software
- Materials Handling
- Metals/Materials
- Oxyfuel Cutting
- Plasma Cutting
- Power Tools
- Punching and Other Holemaking
- Roll Forming
- Safety
- Sawing
- Shearing
- Shop Management
- Testing and Measuring
- Tube and Pipe Fabrication
- Tube and Pipe Production
- Waterjet Cutting
Industry Directory
Webcasts
Podcasts
FAB 40
Advertise
Subscribe
Account Login
Search
Cleaning up in the Gulf
- By Eric Lundin
- December 12, 2011
What has happened since then? The Gulf Coast Ecosystem Restoration Task Force continues to assess and mitigate the effects of oil contamination along the beaches of Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and Florida. The analysis seems well-organized, breaking down the contaminated areas into three zones—subtidal, intertidal, and supratidal—and providing separate reports on the effects on fish, birds, turtles, and other wildlife. So far, so good. But what about the other cleanup?
The other cleanup, you ask? Well, yeah … after burning for two days, the rig sank into the gulf. Although the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management hasn’t made a decision on this particular rig—it weighs more than 30,000 tons and is submerged in more than 5,000 ft. of water—in most cases, rigs must be removed when they are taken out of service. Intact rigs present a challenge: How do you cut apart an oil rig’s structure without compromising its structural integrity? Cutting up a collapsed, sunken oil platform has that problem and others.
Enter Versabar’s VB-10000, a floating crane designed for this task. One of many inventions of Jon Khachaturian, Versabar’s founder, this $100+ million beast consists of two gantries that span two barges. Each gantry has a fixed foot on one of the barges and a pivoting foot on the other barge, which allows it to articulate, absorbing wave motion without stressing the structure.
What is the VB-10000’s truss system made from? Glad you asked. It’s made from the structural material that has the optimum strength-to-weight ratio and loading characteristics: Tube! A lot of tube. Each truss weighs 3,500 tons.
“The largest pipe is 60-inch diameter,” said Tom Cheatum, Versabar’s director of sales and marketing. “The heaviest wall thickness is 1-1/2 in.”
Before it was turned into tube, the raw material was API 2H grade 50 plate. It was rolled and welded using submerged arc welding (SAW); the sections were assembled into trusses using flux-cored arc welding (FCAW). All told, building the project took about nine months start to finish.
How much can it lift? In its current configuration, each of the four winches has been proof-loaded to 1,500 tons, for a lift capacity of 6,000 tons.
“It’s the largest American-flagged lift vessel in the world, and certainly the largest American-made offshore heavy lift system ever built,” Cheatum said.
How big, exactly? It’s 25 stories tall and, well, wider than an oil platform.
“You could fly a 747 through it,” Cheatum said. “The pilot would have 5 feet of clearance on each side.”
subscribe now
The Fabricator is North America's leading magazine for the metal forming and fabricating industry. The magazine delivers the news, technical articles, and case histories that enable fabricators to do their jobs more efficiently. The Fabricator has served the industry since 1970.
start your free subscriptionAbout the Author
Eric Lundin
2135 Point Blvd
Elgin, IL 60123
815-227-8262
Eric Lundin worked on The Tube & Pipe Journal from 2000 to 2022.
- Stay connected from anywhere
Easily access valuable industry resources now with full access to the digital edition of The Fabricator.
Easily access valuable industry resources now with full access to the digital edition of The Welder.
Easily access valuable industry resources now with full access to the digital edition of The Tube and Pipe Journal.
Easily access valuable industry resources now with full access to the digital edition of The Fabricator en Español.
- Podcasting
- Podcast:
- The Fabricator Podcast
- Published:
- 04/30/2024
- Running Time:
- 53:00
Seth Feldman of Iowa-based Wertzbaugher Services joins The Fabricator Podcast to offer his take as a Gen Zer...
- Industry Events
Pipe and Tube Conference
- May 21 - 22, 2024
- Omaha, NE
World-Class Roll Forming Workshop
- June 5 - 6, 2024
- Louisville, KY
Advanced Laser Application Workshop
- June 25 - 27, 2024
- Novi, MI
Precision Press Brake Certificate Course
- July 31 - August 1, 2024
- Elgin,