Jeff Bezos’ new megayacht is so big the Dutch will have to dismantle a historic bridge to let it pass
Jeff Bezos’ new yacht is so big it won’t reach the sea unless a Dutch town removes part of a historic bridge.
Dutch broadcaster Rijnmond reported Tuesday that the 417-foot vessel is currently under construction in the town of Alblasserdam, the Netherlands. Once completed, it will have to pass through Rotterdam, widely regarded as the maritime capital of Europe, in order to reach the ocean and, presumably, Bezos.
There is only one problem: the megayacht has three masts, and the masts are too high to pass under the Koningshaven Bridge in Rotterdam, despite its clearance of over 131 feet.
The bridge, which locals call De Hef, is almost 100 years old and, although it no longer functions as a level crossing, it has become something of a monument in the city. It was refurbished and then reassembled in 2017, after which the city pledged that it would no longer be dismantled, Rijnmond reported.
But now the city plans to remove the central part of the bridge to allow the ship to pass.
Frances van Heijst, spokesperson for the municipality of Rotterdam, confirmed to Insider that the city is able to authorize the maritime sector to take a ship out to sea. But van Heijst told the Washington Post On Wednesday the city won’t pay the cost of dismantling the bridge and reassembling it, shipbuilder Oceanco will.
A spokesperson for Oceanco did not immediately respond to Insider’s request for comment.
The existence of the Bezos megayacht was first reported last May in Brad Stone’s book, “Amazon Unbound.” The custom yacht, currently known only as Y721, is expected to cost $500 million and is expected to be “one of the finest sailing yachts around,” Stone reported.
In addition to the mega-yacht, the Amazon founder, who is currently worth $176 billion, has reportedly ordered a second, smaller “support yacht” that will include its own helipad.
Boat International reports that the project will be completed in 2022 and will become the largest sailing ship in the world.