The world’s largest sailing yacht, which has reportedly been commissioned by Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, will have to clear several hurdles before heading out to sea. In order for the ship to leave the shipyard where it is being built, in Rotterdam, part of the historic Koningshaven bridge must be dismantled. Y the city authorities have not yet given the go-ahead.
The possibility that the bridge, a national monument, be dismantled has caused great controversy. At the time, the city council promised not to touch the structure again, restored in 2017. However, and according to the president of the Rotterdam Historical Society, Tom Wesselink, would have agreed to its dismantling to allow the passage of the yacht. An accusation that the mayor, Ahmed Aboutaleb, has denied.
Waiting for the green light from Rotterdam
Speaking to CBS, Aboutaleb has said that So far, no petition to dismantle the bridge has been presented to the city council.. Along these lines, the local government spokesman said: “The company that is building the boat has not applied for any permit, so for the moment this is not a problem. When they ask us for the permit, we will decide whether to approve it or not, and how”.
At the moment, according to the city council, its officials have been in contact with the custom yacht builder Oceanco and only know that “there is a great ship that has to cross the ocean one day”. Before a permit is approved, they say, the preservation of the bridge structure, the impact on the environment and the local economy, including jobs related to the shipbuilding industry, will be taken into account.
As if this were not enough, the yacht’s departure to sea, scheduled for this summer, according to initial information, also has another obstacle. Some locals have been against Koningshaven Bridge being altered. According to WinNews, more than 1,200 people have gathered on Facebook to organize a protest. It has the objective of “throwing rotten eggs en masse at Jeff Bezos’ superyacht when I sail through the Hef in Rotterdam”.
The truth is that some of the most exclusive yachts in the world are built in the Netherlands. His passage through different bridges that are between the shipyards and the sea is something common. However, the 127-meter vessel and more than 500 million dollars that would be Jeff Bezos, has three huge masts that prevent its passage through the characteristic green Rotterdam bridge that was completed in 1927.
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