In May 2021, it became clear the founder of Amazon, Jeff Bezos, had ordered a yacht with Dutch yacht builder Oceanco. At 127 metres, it will be both the largest sailing yacht in the world and the largest yacht ever built in the Netherlands. There is just one problem, to get the yacht to sea, a monumental bridge in Rotterdam needs to be partially dismantled.
The Koningshaven Bridge, locally known as “De Hef”, has a clearance of forty metres, which is not enough to let Bezos’ newbuild, estimated to be worth some 430 million euros, pass. This has led Oceanco to ask the municipality of Rotterdam to partially dismantle the bridge to let the yacht pass.
Also read: Amazon’s Jeff Bezos orders triple-masted, 127-metre yacht at Oceanco
It has led to consternation in Rotterdam, reports local news channel Rijnmond. After a large restoration back in 2017, the municipality said the bridge would not be taken apart again. Yet, as the yacht builder and Jeff Bezos will pay for the operation, Rotterdam is willing to grant the request, according to Rijnmond.
This means the middle section of the bridge will temporarily be removed as Oceanco has indicated no facilities are available to complete the yacht somewhere else.
Watch a video of the 127-metre yacht for Bezos being transported from Oceanco’s building hall in Zwijndrecht, the Netherlands, below.
Picture (top): The Koningshaven Bridge / De Hef in Rotterdam (by Sergey Ashmarin/Wikimedia).
