Google confirmed that its mysterious barge departed from Treasure Island in the San Francisco Bay toward its new home in the California delta city of Stockton.
The Google Barge has set sail from its San Francisco home to a new destination in Stockton, Thursday. The departure was confirmed by Google, after a previous report speculated the move, last Friday. The four-story vessel made of recycled shipping containers moving out of the San Francisco Bay Conservation and Development Commission's jurisdiction was imminent after a regulatory order warned Google to get the required permit, move out of the bay, or pay fines.
Richard Aschieris, port director at the Port of Stockton, initially revealed to the San Francisco Chronicle that Google had not made any reservations to station its monstrous barge in its docks. But in his most recent statement, Aschieris told Stockton Record in an exclusive interview that an agreement was made with Google to dock at the Port of Stockton. He also revealed that Google will pay monthly fees, about $10,000, for the roughly 200-foot long watercraft that will be housed at the new location for six months.
Despite the attention the Google Barge has garnered since it was first spotted last fall, specific details about the vessel still remain unknown. The web giant said the barge will serve as an interactive center for people to learn about new technology. Google will likely demonstrate its new products such as Google Glass, driverless car among other things there.
Speaking of Google's decision to move the barge inland, the web giant joked that it had to do with good food and weather. "It's been a busy six months for our barge and it's grown tired of all the attention, so we are moving it to Stockton where it can have a break, enjoy the city's delicious asparagus and warmer climate, and get a bit of rest before its next chapter," Google said in a statement to CNET.
The excitement is mutual, as Aschieris noted, "People are very excited about the possibility of this coming to Stockton, and they want to talk about it."
"I was practically mobbed by people wanting to know about this and (asking), 'Did we have an agreement?' " he added.
According to Aschieris, the barge will arrive anytime in the next six months, but a CNET reported the barge will hit the Stockton shores later on Thursday.
