publishedJuly 5, 2022 at 5:25 p.m
The topic has been causing trouble for months: A giant luxury yacht for US billionaire Jeff Bezos is being built in Rotterdam, but it is too high for the popular Koningshaven Bridge. Now the shipbuilder has decided not to dismantle the bridge.
A 127-meter yacht commissioned by Amazon founder Jeff Bezos will support three huge masts when complete.
Screenshot Youtube/ Dutch Yachting
Bezos (pictured with girlfriend Lauren Sanchez) wanted to have the bridge partially dismantled temporarily so…
imago images/UPI Photo
A historic bridge in Rotterdam is not being dismantled for the passage of a mega yacht, which according to media reports Amazon founder and US billionaire Jeff Bezos is having built there. Shipbuilder Oceanco has informed the authorities that after violent reactions and threats it will not apply for the partial dismantling of the Koningshavenbrug, a spokesman for the Dutch port city told the German Press Agency on Tuesday and confirmed corresponding media reports.
The plan had outraged the people of Rotterdam: the almost 100-year-old bridge was to make way for the luxury yacht. There were calls on social media to greet the ship with rotten eggs. Now the daily newspaper “Trouw” reported that the shipbuilder feared vandalism and therefore called off the action. The company, which specializes in the construction of luxury ships, did not initially respond to inquiries. It is unclear how – and how far completed – the ship should now reach the open sea.
The bridge is under monument protection
The sailing yacht should be completed this summer and towed out to sea. But the 46 meter high bridge with the popular name “De Hef” was in the way. Therefore, the moving center piece should be dismantled and restored after the passage. The three-master is currently being built at a shipyard near Rotterdam and is estimated to cost around 430 million euros.
The former railway bridge over the Meuse is a listed building. It is a so-called lifting bridge, since the middle section can be lifted upwards to let ships through. No trains have crossed the characteristic bridge since 1993.
(DPA/small)