Google Confirms Sale of Barge Docked in Maine

The barge carries dozens of old shipping containers that were joined to create a four-story building. Google envisioned it as one of three floating retail stores.

The Portland Press Herald says an international company is buying the barge and taking it on an ocean voyage. Portland Harbor's deputy harbour master says the containers will be disassembled and scrapped.

The barge first docked in Portland Harbor in October and moved to South Portland Wednesday. A Portland city spokeswoman says the city received $400,000 in state reimbursements while it docked there.

Google initially had little to say about the barges, leading to speculation about its intentions, with industry watchers expecting anything from cheaper-cooled data centres, to another of the search giant's visionary concepts like Internet via high-altitude balloon, to self-driving cars and smart contact lenses.

The Mountain View giant later revealed the barges were to be high-end stores and 'interactive spaces' where people could learn about new technology. A press statement had been issued, dispelling rumours: "Google Barge ... A floating data center? A wild party boat? A barge housing the last remaining dinosaur? Sadly, none of the above. [..] Although it's still early days and things may change, we're exploring using the barge as an interactive space where people can learn about new technology."

One of the two known Google barges, based in San Francisco Bay, was forced to move to a new mooring at a port in the California city of Stockton in March. The barge was ordered to move from Treasure Island after it turned out that San Francisco didn't have permits for Google or anyone else to construct a vessel at a dock there.

Written with agency inputs