When Google's barges were first discovered last year they caused a lot of speculation. Now, however, it seems as though whatever idea Google had for those barges has sunk.
The project has reportedly been on hold for two months due to concerns raised by the U.S. Coast Guard related to fire safety aboard the barges, a concern which Google has not been able to satisfy.
One email, sent way back in March 2013 by Robert Gauvin, acting chief of commercial vessel compliance for the Coast Guard, says that the barges would have "over 5,000 gallons of fuel on the main deck" with a "substantial amount of combustible material." This, of course, is a very bad idea when it comes to fire safety.
The emails were obtained by the Wall Street Journal using a Freedom of Information Act request.
The Coast Guard again pointed out its concerns last August, suggesting that the barges still did not meet fire safety concerns that would normally be required. It also questioned whether Google had taken the evacuation of disabled people into consideration. The number of people that would be onboard the barges has also been the subject of some confusion. Google said that it expected around 1,200 people to visit the barge per day, but the contractors of the barges said that there would be no more than 150 people onboard the barge at any given time.
"I am unaware of any measures you plan to use to actually limit the number of passengers," continued the March 2013 email. "While I understand there is a sense of urgency, I am concerned that significant work has already been performed without full consent of the Coast Guard."
When the barges were first spotted they were the subject of much speculation, although the use of the barges was later said to be a showroom for Google's newest products, especially Google Glass. While the company has not officially said that it will no longer go ahead with its plans, it seems as though the project has been abandoned, as one of the two barges was sold for scrap metal in August and the other moved out of the San Francisco Bay to Stockton because its permit to remain in the bay ran out. The Stockton barge remains there, where it is slowly gathering rust.
Google was set on keeping the barges a secret while the project was still being planned and it even had the Coast Guard sign nondisclosure agreements.
