The barge contractor in San Francisco, Foss Maritime Co., ran into problems after the Coast Guard inspected the vessel and found it would carry more than 5,000 gallons of fuel on the main deck and a substantial amount of combustible material on board. Coast Guard officials were also worried about how people could escape the four-story structure, which was made out of shipping containers.

In September 2013, a Coast Guard inspector wrote that more safety measures were needed in case “people are forced to jump overboard on the waterside (like a fire),” according to an email The Wall Street Journal obtained under the Freedom of Information Act.

Google stopped work that month after the Coast Guard gave the contractor a 20-page document laying out fire-safety requirements and a spreadsheet with escape requirements.

It appears that no work was ever performed on the barge in Portland. The structure’s top – which was made by assembling 63 shipping containers – was built in New London, Connecticut. Both barges were envisioned as floating showrooms for Google Glass and other high-tech gadgets.

When the barge arrived in Portland in October 2013 from New London, it was moored in Portland Harbor at Richers Wharf, a facility owned by contractor Cianbro Corp., which was expected to work on the project.

Read more