The shipyard that is building Jeff Bezos’ superyacht has decided against asking the Dutch city of Rotterdam to dismantle a historic bridge to make way for the vessel to pass.
Reports that surfaced in February had earlier indicated that Rotterdam would temporarily dismantle the historic bridge to allow the 412-foot sailing yacht to pass.
The yacht, built for Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, is too big to pass under the iconic Koningshaven Bridge, which dates from 1878 and was rebuilt after being bombed by the Nazis in 1940 during World War II. "It's the only route to the sea," a spokesman for the mayor of Rotterdam had told AFP at the time, adding that billionaire Bezos would foot the bill for the operation.
However, a recent report in local news website Trouw indicates that Oceanco, the firm commissioned to build the $500 million superyacht, has halted its plans to ask the Dutch city of Rotterdam to temporarily dismantle the bridge after facing backlash from angry locals.
Thousands of angry Dutch locals had planned to pelt the superyacht with rotten eggs if the city went ahead with its plans of dismantling the iconic 140-year-old bridge. The plans had angered many, especially given that the local council promised after a major renovation in 2017 that it would never again dismantle the bridge, known to Rotterdammers as De Hef.
It is not clear what will happen to the superyacht, which was being built in Oceanco's shipyard in the Netherlands, now that its only route to the sea is no longer feasible.
(With inputs from AFP)
