Advertisement

Google's mystery barge in San Francisco Bay

  • A barge built with four levels of shipping containers is seen at Pier 1 at Treasure Island in San Francisco, California October 28, 2013. How badly does Google want to keep under wraps a mysterious project taking shape on a barge in San Francisco Bay? Badly enough to require U.S. government officials to sign confidentiality agreements. REUTERS/Stephen Lam (UNITED STATES - Tags: SCIENCE TECHNOLOGY BUSINESS)
    1/7

    Mysterious structure built on floating barge is seen in San Francisco Bay

    A barge built with four levels of shipping containers is seen at Pier 1 at Treasure Island in San Francisco, California October 28, 2013. How badly does Google want to keep under wraps a mysterious project taking shape on a barge in San Francisco Bay? Badly enough to require U.S. government officials to sign confidentiality agreements. REUTERS/Stephen Lam (UNITED STATES - Tags: SCIENCE TECHNOLOGY BUSINESS)
    REUTERS
  • A barge built with four levels of shipping containers is seen at Pier 1 at Treasure Island in San Francisco, California October 28, 2013. How badly does Google want to keep under wraps a mysterious project taking shape on a barge in San Francisco Bay? Badly enough to require U.S. government officials to sign confidentiality agreements. REUTERS/Stephen Lam (UNITED STATES - Tags: SCIENCE TECHNOLOGY BUSINESS)
    2/7

    Mysterious structure built on floating barge is seen in San Francisco Bay

    A barge built with four levels of shipping containers is seen at Pier 1 at Treasure Island in San Francisco, California October 28, 2013. How badly does Google want to keep under wraps a mysterious project taking shape on a barge in San Francisco Bay? Badly enough to require U.S. government officials to sign confidentiality agreements. REUTERS/Stephen Lam (UNITED STATES - Tags: SCIENCE TECHNOLOGY BUSINESS)
    REUTERS
  • A barge built with four levels of shipping containers is seen at Pier 1 at Treasure Island in San Francisco, California October 28, 2013. How badly does Google want to keep under wraps a mysterious project taking shape on a barge in San Francisco Bay? Badly enough to require U.S. government officials to sign confidentiality agreements. REUTERS/Stephen Lam (UNITED STATES - Tags: SCIENCE TECHNOLOGY BUSINESS)
    3/7

    Mysterious structure built on floating barge is seen in San Francisco Bay

    A barge built with four levels of shipping containers is seen at Pier 1 at Treasure Island in San Francisco, California October 28, 2013. How badly does Google want to keep under wraps a mysterious project taking shape on a barge in San Francisco Bay? Badly enough to require U.S. government officials to sign confidentiality agreements. REUTERS/Stephen Lam (UNITED STATES - Tags: SCIENCE TECHNOLOGY BUSINESS)
    REUTERS
  • Stay in the know at a glance with the Top 10 daily stories

    Yahoo News is better in the app

    Stay in the know at a glance with the Top 10 daily stories

  • A barge built with four levels of shipping containers is seen at Pier 1 at Treasure Island in San Francisco, California October 28, 2013. How badly does Google want to keep under wraps a mysterious project taking shape on a barge in San Francisco Bay? Badly enough to require U.S. government officials to sign confidentiality agreements. REUTERS/Stephen Lam (UNITED STATES - Tags: SCIENCE TECHNOLOGY BUSINESS)
    4/7

    Mysterious structure built on floating barge is seen in San Francisco Bay

    A barge built with four levels of shipping containers is seen at Pier 1 at Treasure Island in San Francisco, California October 28, 2013. How badly does Google want to keep under wraps a mysterious project taking shape on a barge in San Francisco Bay? Badly enough to require U.S. government officials to sign confidentiality agreements. REUTERS/Stephen Lam (UNITED STATES - Tags: SCIENCE TECHNOLOGY BUSINESS)
    REUTERS
  • A barge built with four levels of shipping containers is seen at Pier 1 at Treasure Island in San Francisco, California October 28, 2013. How badly does Google want to keep under wraps a mysterious project taking shape on a barge in San Francisco Bay? Badly enough to require U.S. government officials to sign confidentiality agreements. REUTERS/Stephen Lam (UNITED STATES - Tags: SCIENCE TECHNOLOGY BUSINESS)
    5/7

    Mysterious structure built on floating barge is seen in San Francisco Bay

    A barge built with four levels of shipping containers is seen at Pier 1 at Treasure Island in San Francisco, California October 28, 2013. How badly does Google want to keep under wraps a mysterious project taking shape on a barge in San Francisco Bay? Badly enough to require U.S. government officials to sign confidentiality agreements. REUTERS/Stephen Lam (UNITED STATES - Tags: SCIENCE TECHNOLOGY BUSINESS)
    REUTERS
  • A barge built with four levels of shipping containers is seen at Pier 1 at Treasure Island in San Francisco, California October 28, 2013. How badly does Google want to keep under wraps a mysterious project taking shape on a barge in San Francisco Bay? Badly enough to require U.S. government officials to sign confidentiality agreements. REUTERS/Stephen Lam (UNITED STATES - Tags: SCIENCE TECHNOLOGY BUSINESS)
    6/7

    Mysterious structure built on floating barge is seen in San Francisco Bay

    A barge built with four levels of shipping containers is seen at Pier 1 at Treasure Island in San Francisco, California October 28, 2013. How badly does Google want to keep under wraps a mysterious project taking shape on a barge in San Francisco Bay? Badly enough to require U.S. government officials to sign confidentiality agreements. REUTERS/Stephen Lam (UNITED STATES - Tags: SCIENCE TECHNOLOGY BUSINESS)
    REUTERS
  • Stay in the know at a glance with the Top 10 daily stories

    Yahoo News is better in the app

    Stay in the know at a glance with the Top 10 daily stories

  • A barge built with four levels of shipping containers is seen at Pier 1 at Treasure Island in San Francisco, California in this file photo taken October 28, 2013. Google Inc's mysterious barges, which prompted fevered speculation about everything from offshore data centers to floating research labs, may serve a more prosaic role as upscale party venues and showrooms. REUTERS/Stephen Lam/Files (UNITED STATES - Tags: SCIENCE TECHNOLOGY BUSINESS)
    7/7

    Mysterious structure built on floating barge is seen in San Francisco Bay

    A barge built with four levels of shipping containers is seen at Pier 1 at Treasure Island in San Francisco, California in this file photo taken October 28, 2013. Google Inc's mysterious barges, which prompted fevered speculation about everything from offshore data centers to floating research labs, may serve a more prosaic role as upscale party venues and showrooms. REUTERS/Stephen Lam/Files (UNITED STATES - Tags: SCIENCE TECHNOLOGY BUSINESS)
    REUTERS
A barge built with four levels of shipping containers is seen at Pier 1 at Treasure Island in San Francisco, California October 28, 2013. How badly does Google want to keep under wraps a mysterious project taking shape on a barge in San Francisco Bay? Badly enough to require U.S. government officials to sign confidentiality agreements. REUTERS/Stephen Lam (UNITED STATES - Tags: SCIENCE TECHNOLOGY BUSINESS)
A barge built with four levels of shipping containers is seen at Pier 1 at Treasure Island in San Francisco, California October 28, 2013. How badly does Google want to keep under wraps a mysterious project taking shape on a barge in San Francisco Bay? Badly enough to require U.S. government officials to sign confidentiality agreements. REUTERS/Stephen Lam (UNITED STATES - Tags: SCIENCE TECHNOLOGY BUSINESS)
A barge built with four levels of shipping containers is seen at Pier 1 at Treasure Island in San Francisco, California October 28, 2013. How badly does Google want to keep under wraps a mysterious project taking shape on a barge in San Francisco Bay? Badly enough to require U.S. government officials to sign confidentiality agreements. REUTERS/Stephen Lam (UNITED STATES - Tags: SCIENCE TECHNOLOGY BUSINESS)
A barge built with four levels of shipping containers is seen at Pier 1 at Treasure Island in San Francisco, California October 28, 2013. How badly does Google want to keep under wraps a mysterious project taking shape on a barge in San Francisco Bay? Badly enough to require U.S. government officials to sign confidentiality agreements. REUTERS/Stephen Lam (UNITED STATES - Tags: SCIENCE TECHNOLOGY BUSINESS)
A barge built with four levels of shipping containers is seen at Pier 1 at Treasure Island in San Francisco, California October 28, 2013. How badly does Google want to keep under wraps a mysterious project taking shape on a barge in San Francisco Bay? Badly enough to require U.S. government officials to sign confidentiality agreements. REUTERS/Stephen Lam (UNITED STATES - Tags: SCIENCE TECHNOLOGY BUSINESS)
A barge built with four levels of shipping containers is seen at Pier 1 at Treasure Island in San Francisco, California October 28, 2013. How badly does Google want to keep under wraps a mysterious project taking shape on a barge in San Francisco Bay? Badly enough to require U.S. government officials to sign confidentiality agreements. REUTERS/Stephen Lam (UNITED STATES - Tags: SCIENCE TECHNOLOGY BUSINESS)
A barge built with four levels of shipping containers is seen at Pier 1 at Treasure Island in San Francisco, California in this file photo taken October 28, 2013. Google Inc's mysterious barges, which prompted fevered speculation about everything from offshore data centers to floating research labs, may serve a more prosaic role as upscale party venues and showrooms. REUTERS/Stephen Lam/Files (UNITED STATES - Tags: SCIENCE TECHNOLOGY BUSINESS)
Yahoo

The agency that oversees development in the San Francisco Bay in California has begun a formal investigation into the construction of a secretive Google Inc barge on an island in the bay.

The probe, which began in the past week, will examine what permits are needed to build the barge and whether the owners of the Treasure Island pier where the vessel is moored have the proper permits, said Larry Goldzband, the executive director of the San Francisco Bay Conservation and Development Commission. (Reuters)

Find more news related pictures in our photo galleries and follow us on Tumblr