In 2010, Google embarked on a mystery barge project that was cancelled without explanation almost a year ago. It had been rumored that the barges were to be used as be a moving showroom for the best of Google, including Android, Chrome OS and Google Glass.

New reports say Google abandoned the barges because the Coast Guard was pushing Google to add more safety precautions to the barge, said to have more than 5,000 gallons of fuel on the main deck.

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It appears Google was somewhat uncooperative with the Coast Guard, although the leaked messages do not show all of the information. It might be that Google could not, for whatever reason, display the relevant safety concerns needed to past the Coast Guard's tests.

The messages started back in Mar. 2013, when the Coast Guard revealed Google was carrying fuel on the barge and have not displayed the correct safety information. The back and forth lasted until Feb. 2014, when Google decided to scrap the project.

It has not been confirmed by the Coast Guard or Google, but it appears to be the only real reason for Google to simply abandon the multi-million dollar project. This would have been the first "Google Store" to show off both hardware and software.

Considering the sheer size of the barge, it is clear Google wanted multiple floors to show off different products. Google might have even used the barge to host their Google I/O conferences in June, since it can move from place-to-place.

TagsGoogle Barge, Chrome OS, Google store