As a wealthy leader of the city-state Shuruppak, Noah would have access to the labor and materials needed to build a large commercial barge. Although popular versions of the story have Noah being ridiculed by the townspeople, actually the elders of Shuruppak probably encouraged and supported building of the barge under control of their own leader Noah, because they may have envisioned that the barge would substantially increase their own personal wealth and the wealth of Shuruppak. Ur then near the mouth of the river. Although surviving versions of the flood story suggest that the flood hero rode on the barge only once, and that the barge made only one voyage, it is not likely that the storm and flood happened at exactly the right moment to interrupt the barge's maiden voyage. It is more likely that the barge was used many times to transport cargo, but without Noah on board.
Kings have better things to do with their time than to ride on cattle barges.
Only the final voyage was mentioned in the story, because that may have been one of the few times or the only time that Noah rode on the barge.