Versabar’s Heavy Lift Salvage System, known as the “Bottom Feeder,” is pictured here holding 1,050 ton topside which it has just lifted from the sea floor 240 feet below. Consisting of twin 1,250 ton steel truss frames mounted on standard cargo barges and powered by four 200-ton winches (visible on the legs of the trusses at left), the Bottom Feeder brought four such topsides to the surface in just 18 days in its successful June 2007 Gulf Coast debut. The decks were subsequently loaded onto barges and transported to Morgan City, Louisiana for salvage. With a rated lift capacity of 4000 tons, the system went from concept to operational status in the remarkably short time of 14 months. The patented system is the invention of Versabar President Jon Khachaturian.