The mystery surrounding a four-storey structure being built by Google in the heart of the San Francisco Bay is generating rumours and worries.
The company has not said what the structure is, San Francisco's mayor says he does not know what it is, and government inspectors are sworn to secrecy.
At least one Coast Guard employee has had to sign a non-disclosure agreement with the internet giant, US Coast Guard spokesman Barry Bena told Reuters.
Moored in the shadow of the Bay Bridge off Treasure Island, a former military base, the nondescript barge is built with four levels of white shipping containers, and sprouts what appear to be antennas on top.
The hulking structure, half shrouded in scaffolding, has stirred intense speculation in the Bay Area since reports of its existence surfaced late last month.
Some speculate it is a store to sell Google's internet-connected glasses, while others believe it is a data storage centre.
Some reports have suggested it is meant to be a giant showroom for wealthy clients and VIPs, equipped with amenities such as a bar.
The structure is raising some environmental concerns Deb Self, executive director of the environmental group Baykeeper, said: "At some point they're going to have to unveil what it is they're doing, and it will be sad if they have put a lot of money into something that is simply not allowable in the bay.
"We don't really want to see the bay used as a shopping mall. Unacceptable," she told the AP news agency.
Environmentalists warn that water-cooled data centres might warm the sea and harm marine life.
Google has been tight-lipped about its project, but the internet giant appears to be acting legally.
By constructing a vessel, not a building, it can conceal its purpose because it does not need permits from San Francisco, a city with copious inspection and paperwork requirements for builders.
Adding to the mystery, a second similar barge was recently spotted in Portland, Maine.
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