Rotterdam is considering an order to dismantle part of a historic bridge to allow a yacht allegedly owned by Amazon founder Jeff Bezos to leave the shipyard where it is being built.
The Dutch city has received an order from a local shipbuilder to remove the central section of the historic Koningshaven Bridge so a superyacht can sail out to sea, it said in a statement to CNN Business on Friday.
Rotterdam officials said the shipbuilder has yet to apply for a permit. The city said it would consider preserving the bridge’s structure, along with the impact on the environment and the local economy, including jobs in the shipping industry, before approving the permit.
The shipbuilder would need to pay for the bridge to be dismantled, the city added. An extensive renovation of the Koningshaven Bridge, known to residents as “De Hef,” was completed in 2017 and city officials promised it would never be dismantled again, according to Dutch public broadcaster Rijnmond.
Other bridges on the route between the shipyard and the sea would not need to be altered, city officials said.
Rijnmond identified the shipyard as Oceanco, which builds custom yachts. Oceanco is building a 127-meter-long vessel known as the Y721 in Rotterdam, according to Boat International.
The ship, which has three masts, will be the tallest sailboat in the world when completed and delivered later this year, the specialized publication said.
The superyacht was commissioned by Bezos, according to Dutch media and journalist Brad Stone, who reported in his book “Amazon Unbound” last year that the billionaire’s future plans include a 127-meter schooner being built by Oceanco.
Oceanco and Blue Origin, the spaceflight services company founded by Bezos, did not respond to requests for comment.
Bezos is the third richest person in the world, with a net worth of $164 billion, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index. News that a historic bridge may have to be temporarily dismantled later this year in his name has angered some Rotterdam residents.
“I think it’s one of the few examples … that the more money you have, the more power you get,” resident Matthias Van Der Wilt, 20, told Reuters. If the city approves the permit after “Bezos offers good money,” it would show that the officials “have no character,” he added.
Source: CNN Brasil
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