Google’s mysterious Portland barge is being scrapped

Google’s mysterious barge generated national attention when it was towed into Portland Harbor in Maine last October. The barge was intended to be “an interactive space where people can learn about new technology”. That dream has yet to become a reality, and according to recent reports, it never will.

The barge was moved to South Portland on Wednesday in preparation to be moved elsewhere. The owner of the cargo terminal where the barge is docked claims that an “international barging company” purchased the barge and it and is soon leaving Portland for an “ocean voyage” to an unknown location.

The barge has a four-story building made from 63 shipping containers on top of it. The four-story structure was assembled in New London, Connecticut before being towed to Portland. It was there that Cianbro was scheduled to begin doing interior work on, which included the installation of undisclosed technology equipment.

When finished, the barge was to be towed to New York City where it would open for an invitation-only crowd. That never happened, and probably never will. Before the barge is sent off to an undisclosed location, the containers atop it will be disassembled at Turner’s Island Cargo Terminal and scrapped.

A spokeswoman for the city of Portland, Jessica Grondin, said that even though it will never be finished, the Google barge was good for the city’s image as it linked Portland with the technologically innovative San Francisco. The city of Portland also received over $400,000 in property taxes on the barge while it lingered in the harbor.

It’s still unclear what Google intended to do with the barge, and even more so why the project was abandoned. Fortunately, there’s another barge that was moved from San Francisco to Stockton in March that remains untouched.

Read more about the story at The Next Web.

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