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.

[11] The "wide" side is essentially pinned to the barge with a single degree of freedom (rotational).

"The Claw" is a gantry-suspended submersible grappling device designed to retrieve sunken debris without sending divers to attach rigging.

[19] According to the Minerals Management Service, platforms that cease operation must be either left in place and repurposed as an artificial reef, or removed for disposal, within one year.

Unlike typical barge cranes, which offer a single hook, Bottom Feeder consists of two barge-mounted gantry frames, each weighing 1,250 short tons (1,130 t);[20] four independent lift blocks are suspended from the frames, each with a capacity of 1,000 short tons (910 t), allowing greater control and capacity for retrieval.

Upon reviewing the operating experience and refit plans, Versabar realized that modifications to increase hook height and lifting capacity of Bottom Feeder would be better accomplished with a completely new build.

[11] Versabar announced that preliminary design work on a larger successor for operations outside the Gulf of Mexico was under way in April 2015.

[26] On October 27, 2020, VB-10,000 arrived in Glynn County, Georgia, for the purpose of removing the MV Golden Ray from the St. Simons Sound, where it had been turned on its side for more than a year.