Jeff Bezos' luxury yacht
was broken to delay Bezos' efforts to build a marina.
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Rotterdam partially dismantles the historic deck of Jeff Bezos
Jeff Bezos' superyacht campaign sparked demolition
of a historic bridge
Rotterdam has confirmed that a historic bridge will
be demolished so that the luxury yacht built by Amazon
founder Jeff Bezos can sail across it.
The record-breaking luxury yacht was built by Dutch
company Oceanco and was linked to Bezos last year.
The ship is reportedly 127 meters long and is too large to
cross the Koningshavn Bridge.
A spokesperson for the mayor confirmed the project to sellers and Bezos is expected to pay the bill via Oceanco.
And Dutch media reported, on Tuesday, that the central part
of the city bridge, the local de Heve, will be removed temporarily
to allow a 40-meter vessel to pass.
The decision is controversial because the steel bridge has a long
history and is now a national monument. It has already undergone extensive restoration and was out of service from 2014 to 2017, when authorities announced that it would no longer be demolished.
AFP quoted the mayor as saying that the
the decision to go ahead with the project was due to the jobs that
were saved in the construction of the ship and he promised
to rebuild the bridge in its current form.
"It is the only way to the sea," added a spokesman for
the mayor's office.
Marcel Walravens, project manager for the municipality
of Rotterdam, agreed, stating that it would be impractical
to build the yacht elsewhere.
Speaking to the site, Raymond sa
id the project was
"extremely important from an economic point of view" and referred to Rotterdam's reputation as "the maritime capital of Europe".
"The marine industry and the activities of this sector are an important pillar for the municipality." - He said.
Background: Jeff Bezos and the secret world of
superyachting
Background: The wealth of the world's richest doubled
during the pandemic.
The Walravens told a local newspaper that the project
will be finished in the summer and officials hope to
remove and replace some of them within weeks.
Order details for the superyacht, built by Oceanco,
were announced last year. The company remains silent
about its customers, but a 2021 Bloomberg biography
seems to confirm rumors that it will get one.
According to Boat International,
the ship, known as Y721, will be the largest of its kind in the world.
The ship will reportedly be outfitted with several luxuries
items and will include a "support yacht" with a helipad.
Local environmental politician Stefan Lewis criticized the
move on Twitter, calling for the demolition of our "beautiful National
Monument" "just another bridge".
Forbes estimates that the Amazon founder has a net worth
of more than $175 billion (£130 billion) and is now the third
richest man in the world. In addition to the online commerce
giant, Bezos also owns the Washington Post and space
company Blue Origin.
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