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Rotterdam Won’t Dismantle Bridge to Allow Jeff Bezos’ Superyacht Through

The Dutch city faced an uproar as it considered dismantling a section of a 95-year-old bridge. Now the boat’s builder has decided not to apply for a permit.

By Claire Moses

Jeff Bezos will not be able to sail a new, more than 400-foot-long superyacht through the waters of the Dutch city of Rotterdam anytime soon.

The port city faced an uproar months ago as it considered dismantling a section of a 95-year-old bridge to allow the Amazon founder’s yacht to pass. But now the boat’s builder, the Dutch company Oceanco, has decided to refrain from applying for a permit, according to a Rotterdam City Council member.

It was unclear how Mr. Bezos’ yacht would leave the area or whether Oceanco would finish the boat. The company did not respond to requests for comment on Wednesday and Thursday. An Amazon spokeswoman did not immediately return a request for comment.

The yacht was supposed to sail through the Koningshaven Bridge, known locally as “De Hef,” over the summer and was on track to become the largest sailing yacht in the world at 417 feet, according to the superyacht industry publication Boat International. The bridge does not have enough clearance for the yacht , which was being built in a nearby town.

Because Oceanco is no longer seeking an application, the middle part of the bridge will not be removed for now, according to a public letter from the councilman, Vincent Karremans . The dismantling process takes about a day, as does putting it back together, according to Peter van Druten, a spokesman for the city of Rotterdam.

De Hef opened in 1927 and was the first vertical lift bridge in the Netherlands, but it is no longer in use. It has been dismantled before — most recently in 2017 for a renovation, Mr. van Druten said. The bridge is “an icon for the city,” he said.

The full cost of the dismantling would have been covered by Oceanco, the city said, and the bridge would have immediately been restored afterward.

City officials told reporters in February that Rotterdam had agreed to briefly dismantle the bridge to allow Mr. Bezos’ yacht to go through. But after backlash, they walked back that statement and said a decision had not been made.

A Facebook event at the time invited residents of the city to throw eggs at the boat. “Dismantling De Hef for Jeff Bezos’s latest toy? Come throw eggs … !” the event’s organizer wrote in February.

Then last month, the Dutch newspaper Trouw reported that Oceanco had decided not to apply for the permit out of fear of vandalism and threats.

“That’s worrisome — the ship builder is just doing his job,” said Dieke van Groningen, a Rotterdam council member for VVD, the Dutch liberal party.

Responses so far were mixed. Some people applauded the fact that the city would not have to bend to the will of Mr. Bezos. Facebook posts by the Dutch public in response to the news included sentiments like: “Class! Keep your spine straight for such oligarchs,” and “Let him get that thing with his own rocket.”

“We’re happy it’s not happening,” said Marvin Biljoen, a councilman for GroenLinks, the Dutch Green Party. “The bridge is a national monument, which shouldn’t be altered too much. That you could still do that with money anyway bothers us.”

But others believed it would have been a good opportunity for the city.

“I talk to a lot of residents of Rotterdam,” Ms. van Groningen, the VVD councilwoman, said. “They’re incredibly proud that these kinds of ships sail through our city.”

Rotterdam is the biggest port in Europe and a main hub for shipbuilding, including superyachts.

“This is the Netherlands at its best,” Ms. van Groningen said. “It’s about the image of the port, and you should be proud of that.”

Claire Moses is a writer for The Morning based in London. Before joining The Times in 2017, she worked at BuzzFeed News and other news outlets. She is originally from the Netherlands. More about Claire Moses

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Rotterdam Now Won't Dismantle a Historic Bridge for Jeff Bezos's Superyacht

The Amazon founder's new sailing yacht is too tall to pass under the historic Koningshaven bridge.

Update 8/11/22 : Rotterdam now won't dismantle the Koningshaven Bridge for Jeff Bezos's boat. After backlash, the ship's builder Oceano decided to not move forward with a request to alter the bridge to sail the yacht. According to a Rotterdam deputy mayor , Oceano will "for the time being not request the environmental permit for the removal of the bridge."

"We’re happy it’s not happening," Marvin Biljoen, a councilman for GroenLinks, the Dutch Green Party, told the New York Times . "T he bridge is a national monument, which shouldn’t be altered too much. That you could still do that with money anyway bothers us."

Last week, Oceano quietly towed the yacht up the river in the early hours of the morning to a different shipyard, and now, Bezos's boat is nearly completed. The YouTube channel Dutch Yachting shared a video of the boat, and it has three large masts completed:

Expect the superyacht to be on the open seas soon.

Original 2/7/22 : The European port of Rotterdam will dismantle part of its iconic Koningshaven bridge for Jeff Bezos. The billionaire's new yacht is being built in Alblasserdam, in the western Netherlands, and will be too tall to pass under the bridge.

"It's the only route to the sea," a spokesperson for the mayor of Rotterdam told AFP , confirming the news of the bridge's dismantling. According to Dutch news , ship builder Oceanco convinced the city to dismantle part of the bridge. The Rotterdam mayor's spokesperson also confirmed that Bezos would pay for the dismantling and rebuilding of the bridge.

In November, Oceano's chairman, Omani businessman Dr. Mohammed Al Barwani, spoke of the 127 meter (416 feet) sailing yacht the company was working on without mentioning Bezos. Later, Boat International identified the 127m yacht as the one commissioned by the Amazon founder.

The Koningshaven bridge, known locally as the De Hef bridge , was built in 1877. During World War II, the bridge was significantly damaged and rebuilt, subsequently recognized as a historic monument. Between 2014 and 2017, the bridge underwent a restoration, and officials promised it would not be dismantled again.

"From an economic perspective and maintaining employment, the municipality considers this a very important project," Marcel Walravens, the leader of the proposed dismantling project, told Dutch broadcaster Rijnmond . "Rotterdam has also been declared the maritime capital of Europe. Shipbuilding and activity within that sector are therefore an important pillar for the municipality." Walravens says the project will likely take place sometime this summer.

Dennis Tak, a Labor Party city councilor, said he was OK with the dismantling of the Koningshaven bridge because Bezos is paying for it, and it would create jobs. "As a city, this is a great way to take some of his money," Tak told the New York Times .

Dutch residents are not happy, however; they plan to throw rotten eggs at Jeff Bezos's superyacht as it passes through the Rotterdam harbor. Business Insider reports Rotterdam locals are planning an event called "Throwing eggs at Jeff Bezos' superyacht" in protest.

"Calling all Rotterdammers, take a box of rotten eggs with you and let's throw them en masse at Jeff's superyacht when it sails through the Hef in Rotterdam," the event description reads on Facebook. "Rotterdam was built from the rubble by the people of Rotterdam, and we don't just take that apart for the phallic symbol of a megalomaniac billionaire. Not without a fight!" 3,300 people have RSVP'd as going, and 11,600 are interested in the event.

When Bezos's yacht, known as Y721, is delivered later this year—after the bridge is dismantled—the boat will become the world's largest sailing yacht, a title that has been held for nearly a century by American socialite Marjorie Merriweather Post's 1931 boat Sea Cloud .

Along with making history as the largest sailing yacht, Bezos's Y271 is the longest yacht to have ever been built in the Netherlands, and Oceano's largest ever superyacht. It is also rumored to come with a "support yacht," also called a shadow vessel. The superyacht likely cost more than $500 million to build, per Bloomberg .

Bezos is also reportedly the owner of the Flying Fox, a $400 million megayacht.

Emily Burack (she/her) is the Senior News Editor for Town & Country, where she covers entertainment, culture, the royals, and a range of other subjects. Before joining T&C, she was the deputy managing editor at Hey Alma , a Jewish culture site. Follow her @emburack on Twitter and Instagram .

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The Dutch vow to egg Jeff Bezos' yacht if a bridge is dismantled to let his boat pass

Rachel Treisman

Rotterdam residents appear to be up in arms over a plan to temporarily dismantle the Koningshaven lift bridge, popularly called "De Hef." Remko de Waal/ANP/AFP via Getty Images hide caption

Rotterdam residents appear to be up in arms over a plan to temporarily dismantle the Koningshaven lift bridge, popularly called "De Hef."

It's not exactly smooth sailing these days in the Dutch port city of Rotterdam, where locals are voicing their objection to a plan that would temporarily dismantle a historic bridge to enable the passage of a record-breaking yacht reportedly owned by former Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos.

In fact, some are already making plans — albeit in jest — for what they will do if the project comes to fruition: throw eggs at the yacht as it traverses the water under the Koningshaven Bridge, known locally as "De Hef."

Some 13,000 people are "interested" and nearly 4,000 have said they will attend a Facebook event titled "Throwing eggs at superyacht Jeff Bezos," which has been shared more than 1,000 times in the week since its creation.

Tens Of Thousands Sign Petition To Stop Jeff Bezos From Returning To Earth

"Calling all Rotterdammers, take a box of rotten eggs with you and let's throw them en masse at Jeff's superyacht when it sails through the Hef in Rotterdam," wrote organizer Pablo Strörmann.

He told the NL Times that the protest started as a joke among friends and has quickly gotten "way out of hand." (The English-language news site also notes that this isn't Strörmann's first campaign to go viral.)

The news of De Hef's potential disassembly, however brief, has clearly struck a chord with both locals and international observers.

It all started last week when Dutch broadcaster Rijnmond reported that the city appeared willing to grant a request to dismantle the decades-old steel bridge so that Bezos' yacht could pass through.

De Hef was built in 1927 as a railway bridge, with a midsection that can be lifted to allow ship traffic to pass underneath, according to The Washington Post . It was replaced by a tunnel and decommissioned in 1994, but was saved from demolition by public protests and later declared a national monument.

The ship's three masts are apparently too high for the bridge's roughly 130-foot clearance.

After backlash, Jeff Bezos suggests naming library auditorium for Toni Morrison

The sailing yacht in question was reportedly commissioned by the billionaire Amazon founder and is currently being built at the Oceanco shipyard in the Netherlands, according to Boat International . It will consist of three masts with aluminum and steel construction and will measure more than 415 feet in length.

"Once delivered, not only will she become the world's largest sailing yacht but she will also hold the title for the largest superyacht ever built in the Netherlands," it added.

The waterway where the bridge sits is the only way the ship can get from the shipyard in Alblasserdam to the open seas, according to the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation . So Oceanco asked Rotterdam officials to temporarily remove the middle section of the bridge.

City spokesperson Netty Kros told the CBC that "the applicant" would cover the costs of the project but did not clarify whether that refers to the yacht's owner, the shipbuilder or both. Bloomberg reports that Oceanco will foot the bill. NPR has reached out to Amazon and Oceanco to confirm these details.

The city appeared to agree to the arrangement last week, with municipal project leader Marcel Walravens telling Rijnmond that the project would proceed for logistical and economic reasons. He said an exact plan was being developed but estimated it would take about a week to prepare and another week to "put everything back in place."

Liftoff! Jeff Bezos And 3 Crewmates Travel To Space And Back In Under 15 Minutes

"At the Koningenne Bridge, we can press a button, and it opens. That's not possible here because De Hef has a maximum height," Walravens said, according to a translation from the NL Times . "The only alternative is to take out the middle part."

That prompted an immediate backlash from locals, lawmakers and social media users, with the Rotterdam Historical Society pointing out that city officials had promised never to dismantle the bridge again after completing a major restoration in 2017.

Officials then walked back the reports, with Rotterdam's mayor telling a Dutch newspaper on Thursday that "no decision has yet been taken, not even an application for a permit," according to The Guardian .

He said the municipality would consider an application and assess the potential impacts, like whether the dismantling can be done without damaging the bridge and who would cover the costs.

Postcard from Rotterdam

Proponents of the plan say the project will bring more economic opportunities to the region, while critics say there's a double standard at play.

"Normally it's the other way around: If your ship doesn't fit under a bridge, you make it smaller," Strörmann told the NL Times. "But when you happen to be the richest person on Earth, you just ask a municipality to dismantle a monument. That's ridiculous."

With a net worth of more than $188 billion, Bezos is the third-richest person in the world behind Tesla founder Elon Musk and French businessman Bernard Arnault, according to Forbes' real-time list .

Hypothetically, if the project does come to pass, and locals do show up with eggs, just how hard of a moving target would the yacht be? The website Curbed set out to find out.

After examining several studies and making a few calculations, reporter Clio Chang says an egg would have to travel about 238 feet to hit the hull — "a difficult, but not impossible, feat."

This story originally appeared on the Morning Edition live blog .

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• Netherlands

Jeff Bezos’s New Superyacht to Force Dismantling of Dutch Bridge

J eff Bezos’s massive new superyacht is nearing completion, but getting it to its owner will require taking out a bridge.

The 417-foot-long sailing yacht, code-named Y721, is being built by Alblasserdam, Netherlands-based Oceanco. For the boat to reach the ocean, it will have to pass through Rotterdam, and navigate a landmark steel bridge known as De Hef. A lift bridge, De Hef’s central span can be raised more than 130 feet into the air, but that’s still not high enough to accommodate the yacht’s three giant masts.

So the city has agreed to temporarily take apart the bridge’s central section this summer for Bezos’s yacht to pass through, according to Frances van Heijst, a Rotterdam spokeswoman. The NL Times reported the bridge plan earlier Wednesday.

The Y721 will be one of the largest sailing yachts ever built in the Netherlands, the unofficial capital of boat building for the very wealthy. Rotterdam council project leader Marcel Walravens defended the city’s decision to allow the bridge to be dismantled, telling local broadcaster Rijnmond it was the “only alternative” to complete what the municipality considers “a very important project” economically.

Oceanco, and not the city, will foot the cost of the bridge demolition, van Heijst said. It’s likely some of those costs will be passed on to Bezos, the world’s second-richest person with a net worth of $175.8 billion, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index.

De Hef is considered an icon of Rotterdam’s industrial heritage as a shipbuilding hub, and news of its partial demolition has caused a stir among locals.

“This man has earned his money by structurally cutting staff, evading taxes, avoiding regulations and now we have to tear down our beautiful national monument?” Rotterdam politician Stephan Leewis wrote on Twitter. “That is really going a bridge too far.”

It’s not the first headache caused by Y721’s tall masts. The enormity of the yacht’s sails will make it unsafe to land a helicopter onboard, so Bezos has commissioned a support yacht equipped with a helipad to trail alongside.

Surging levels of personal wealth pushed superyacht sales to record levels last year. A total of 887 such ships were sold in 2021, a 77% jump from a year earlier and more than double the number in 2019, according to a report from maritime data firm VesselsValue. Boat builder Burgess reported more than 2 billion euros ($2.3 billion) in superyacht sales last year.

—With assistance from Brad Stone.

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It’s Official: Rotterdam Will Not Dismantle Historic Bridge for Jeff Bezos’s Superyacht

Five months ago when it was announced that Jeff Bezos had plans to dismantle a historic bridge in Rotterdam so his half-a-billion-dollar superyacht could make it out of the Koningshaven channel, frustrated residents from the Dutch city came up with a plan of their own: Throw rotten eggs at the Amazon founder and his watercraft. 

Last week, according to a report in The New York Times , it became apparent that neither proposition will come to fruition. The company responsible for building the ship, Oceanco, reportedly told the Rotterdam City Council that it will not be requesting a permit to temporarily take apart the Koningshaven Bridge, known locally as De Hef, or “the lift” in Dutch. It was unclear how, or if, the massive yacht will make it out of the port city. 

For the vessel to pass through, the central lift span would need to be removed, which would take about a day according to city officials. 

Bezos hired Oceanco to build the custom vessel, but its three large masts are too tall to safely pass under the bridge. In order to get the boat into the open ocean, the company toyed with the idea of dismantling only the middle part, then putting it back together. Though it was never a done deal (Rotterdam officials briefly confirmed they would allow the bridge’s deconstruction, then quickly retracted the statement saying the decision was still up in the air), when word first spread that the bridge could’ve been taken apart, the sheer possibility was enough to cause public outcry. 

Lift bridge decks can accommodate heavier materials, and, as such, are popular options for railways. 

De Hef, finished in 1927, is a vertical lift bridge designed by architect Pieter Joosting. Originally part of the Breda-Rotterdam Railway, the bridge was saved from demolition even after the railway suspended use in 1993. De Hef has a long history with the city, and was the first of its kind built in Western Europe. It was also the first structure restored after the bombing of Rotterdam in 1940 during World War II. Though it has been dismantled in the past—most recently in 2014 for repairs—at least for now, it will stay put. 

The Dutch company building Jeff Bezos' megayacht scrapped its request to take apart a historic bridge following public outcry and threats to egg the ship

• The shipbuilder behind Jeff Bezos' megayacht has scrapped plans to dismantle a historic bridge.
• Bezos' yacht was too tall to pass underneath the bridge, but public outcry halted the plans. 
• The company worried locals would vandalize the ship as it passed by, Dutch newspaper Trouw reported.

The Dutch shipbuilder constructing Jeff Bezos' megayacht scrapped its request that a historic bridge be dismantled to accommodate the Amazon founder's vessel. 

Oceanco, a Netherlands-based custom yacht builder, informed the city of Rotterdam that it would no longer be requesting a permit to remove the center portion of the Koningshaven Bridge, known locally as De Hef, to allow Bezos' yacht to reach the North Sea. That is according to a letter written by a city official and translated from Dutch to English using Google Translate. 

While the city didn't rule out the possibility of a future permit to dismantle the bridge, Oceanco isn't going forward with the plan for the time being, the letter says.

It seems that Oceanco may have abandoned its plans to take apart the bridge following public outcry earlier this year. Dutch newspaper Trouw obtained documents from the city through a freedom of information request that showed the shipbuilder was taken aback by the uproar and had opted to drop its plans. 

"As a result of the reports, shipyard employees feel threatened and the company fears vandalism," Trouw reported, according to a translation. 

It's unclear how the yacht will now be transported if it doesn't fit under the bridge, though Trouw reports that Oceanco could choose to finish it at a shipyard closer to the sea.

The company did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment. 

Related stories

A $500 million megayacht

Bezos' yacht saga began back in February, when  Dutch broadcaster Rijnmond reported that the 417-foot vessel would need to pass through Rotterdam — and underneath De Hef — on its way out to sea.

But Bezos' ship appears to be sail-assisted, which means it has three large masts, masts that are too tall to pass underneath the bridge despite its clearance of over 131 feet. The shipbuilder's solution was to temporarily remove the center portion of the bridge, then replace it once the vessel passed through. 

Frances van Heijst, a spokesperson for the municipality of Rotterdam, confirmed to Insider at the time that the city is able to grant permission to the maritime sector to take a ship to sea. But van Heijst told the Washington Post that the city would not pay to dismantle the bridge and reassemble it — that cost would fall to Oceanco.

Objections to the plan were swift. Locals began organizing an event on Facebook to throw rotten eggs at the yacht when it passed by, describing Bezos as a "megalomaniac billionaire." 

The existence of Bezos' megayacht was  first reported in Brad Stone's book , "Amazon Unbound," in May 2021. Photos and videos published last October showed the yacht in a shipyard in Zwijndrecht, Netherlands — though the vessel was clearly unfinished, it appeared to have a black hull and multiple, massive decks.

Currently known only as Y721, the yacht is predicted to cost $500 million and is expected to be "one of the finest sailing yachts in existence," Stone reported.

Watch: Jeff Bezos on regulating giant tech companies: 'I expect us to be scrutinized'

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Jeff Bezos’s $500m yacht stealthily towed out of Dutch shipyard after bridge dismantling controversy

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Jeff Bezos ’s yacht was quietly towed out of a Dutch shipyard this week, German magazine Der Spiegel reports . The ship previously attracted boatloads of controversy after its manufacturer asked the city of Rotterdam to dismantle a historic bridge to let it through.

The yachting firm, Oceanco, eventually withdrew the request, and hauled the Amazon billionaire’s 417-foot vessel to the Greenport shipyard early Tuesday morning, taking a more obscure route outside the city center that didn’t require passing under the bridge in question.

Hanco Bol, a local yachting enthusiast, spotted the transport in progress around 3am and posted a detailed video of the three-hour journey on YouTube.

He speculated that the alternate route was chosen “to keep the launch and transport under wraps”.

"We never saw a transport going that fast," he wrote in the caption of his YouTube video

The Independent has contacted Oceanco for comment.

The yacht, dubbed Y721 and reportedly worth $500m, may have left its original docking in Alblasserdam, Netherlands, but it leaves a checkered reputation behind.

The project came in for a storm of criticism when the shipbuilder asked Rotterdam in February to temporarily take apart the Koningshaven Bridge, a nearly 100-year-old local landmark, to allow the massive, three-mast vessel to pass underneath it.

“There’s a principle at stake,” Stefan Lewis, a former City Council member, told The New York Times , describing the outrage from Rotterdammers. “What can you buy if you have unlimited cash? Can you bend every rule? Can you take apart monuments?”

Locals even planned to egg the yacht as it sailed to its next port.

In July, the Dutch newspaper Trouw reported that Oceanco withdrew its request to dismantle the bridge

"As a result of the reports, shipyard employees feel threatened and the company fears vandalism," Trouw reported, according to public records it uncovered.

Mr Bezos has positioned himself as a leading climate philanthropist, and plans to give away $10bn through his Bezos Earth Fund, but he also lives an extremely high-carbon lifestyle.

The former Amazon CEO is one of the biggest landholders in the US .

Superyachts like the Y721 emit about 1,500 times more carbon than a typical family car per year.

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Watch CBS News

Mayor denies Dutch city will dismantle historic bridge for Jeff Bezos' yacht

By Megan Cerullo

February 4, 2022 / 2:05 PM EST / MoneyWatch

A Dutch city has not agreed to temporarily disassemble a bridge built in 1927 to make room for Amazon founder Jeff Bezos ' mega-yacht, CBS MoneyWatch has learned.

A spokesperson for the mayor — and the city — on Friday told CBS MoneyWatch that Dutch press reports that Rotterdam would disassemble an historic bridge to make room for Bezos' boat were false, and that it has not received, or approved any such request. 

If Bezos or custom yacht-builder Oceanco asks for an accommodation, the city will consider it.

"The company that built the ship didn't yet ask for a permit so there is not an issue at this moment. When they ask for the permit, then we have to make a decision if we allow it or not, and how, and things like that," the spokesperson told CBS MoneyWatch.

Rotterdam Mayor Ahmed Aboutaleb also denied earlier press reports, telling Dutch paper Algemeen Dagblad that "No decision has been made yet," noting that neither Bezos nor his yacht's maker have applied for a permit to take down part of the bridge. 

The Amazon founder's $500 million boat, built by Netherlands-based Oceanco and scheduled to be completed soon, measures 417 feet long and must pass through Rotterdam, under its landmark bridge, to reach its owner, NL Times reported . The problem? The Koninginnebrug bridge, a steel bridge nicknamed De Hef, isn't tall enough to accommodate the ship's three masts, which exceed the 130 feet of clearance the bridge offers.   

Dutch press reports said that the city would remove the central section of the bridge to make way for the yacht, the largest ever built in the Netherlands. 

At this point in time, city officials in Rotterdam, who have been in contact with Oceanco regarding the construction of the superyacht, only know that "there is a big ship that has to go through the ocean some day," a spokesperson told CBS MoneyWatch, adding that they anticipate receiving a request to make room for the boat to pass under the bridge. 

The spokesperson noted that the city has in the past had to deconstruct parts of the bridge to accommodate large vessels. 

"This is not the first time we have to do something about this bridge so that a big ship can go through. Once every few years a big ship has to go through to the other side," the spokesperson said. "So it's not unusual, in a way."

Rotterdam officials were said to have yielded to the billionaire, the world's  second-richest person , given the significance of the project to the local economy. Rotterdam council project leader Marcel Walravens called the construction of the superyacht "a very important project" economically, according to local broadcaster Rijnmond . Dismantling the bridge was the "only alternative," he said. 

Oceanco had agreed to pay for the cost of dismantling operation, Rotterdam spokesperson Frances Van Heijst told the NL Times. It's unclear if Bezos, who is worth roughly $176 billion , would pay for any of the disassembly cost.

The shipbuilder did not respond to a request for comment from CBS MoneyWatch. 

Aboutaleb, the mayor, said the controversial undertaking remains under consideration, but that Bezos still lacks the official approval to move forward. He also said Bezos' wealth and status will not influence his decision. 

"That has absolutely nothing do with this decision. It's about the facts. I want to know them first," Aboutaleb told the Dutch language newspaper.

"It's not an issue of what is going through the bridge," the city spokesperson reiterated. "It's not like if it's a ship for Mr. Bezos all of a sudden the rules are changing. But if there is a call for a permit, we will make a decision based on facts and not emotions. But we are not at that stage at this moment," the spokesperson said.

Some locals oppose altering the bridge on behalf of one of the richest people on the planet. Protesters have organized an event on Facebook at which they vowed to gather to throw eggs at Bezos' yacht when it passes under the bridge, scheduled for June. 

"Rotterdam was built from the rubble by the people of Rotterdam, and we don't just take that apart for the phallic symbol of a megalomaniac billionaire. Not without a fight!!" event organizers wrote on Facebook. 

• Netherlands

Megan Cerullo is a New York-based reporter for CBS MoneyWatch covering small business, workplace, health care, consumer spending and personal finance topics. She regularly appears on CBS News 24/7 to discuss her reporting.

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Historic Dutch Bridge Being Temporarily Dismantled to Accommodate Jeff Bezos' Yacht

Once completed, the 417-foot-long ship will reportedly be the largest sailing yacht in the world

In order to make room for Jeff Bezos ' new yacht, some temporary changes will need to be made to a historic bridge in the Netherlands.

The city of Rotterdam — a major port city — has agreed to temporarily dismantle part of the Koningshaven Bridge in order to accommodate the yacht, a city spokeswoman told the Washington Post . (Bezos purchased the Post in 2013, but newspaper staff has said they have editorial independence .)

Once completed, the 417-foot-long yacht — which is currently being built in the nearby city of Alblasserdam — will be the largest sailing yacht in the world, per Boat International . The ship is expected to be finished sometime this summer.

Bloomberg previously reported that the ship will likely cost more than $500 million.

As is, the yacht is too tall to pass through the bridge, which has a clearance of just over 13 feet, per the Post .

The 58-year-old billionaire and the company building the yacht will reportedly cover the cost, according to the Dutch broadcaster Rijnmond .

A rep for Bezos did not immediately respond to PEOPLE's request for comment.

A Rotterdam spokesperson, who confirmed to the Post that the city will not be paying for the middle section of the bridge to be dismantled and then reassembled, was not able to provide an estimate of how much the project will cost.

"A lot of details need to be worked out," Frances van Heijst told the newspaper.

Originally built in 1927, the bridge was declared a national monument after being decommissioned in 1994, per the Post .

Following a major restoration, city officials said in 2017 the bridge would be kept intact moving forward, Rijnmond reported.

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While the decision has caused some controversy, city officials said that they decided to agree to it for economic reasons.

"From an economic perspective, we attach great importance to preserving employment," van Heijst told the Post .

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Jeff Bezos to dismantle historic Dutch bridge for $450 million yacht

The koningshaven bridge was built in 1878 and repaired after bombing in world war ii.

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Jeff Bezos will pay for Rotterdam to partially dismantle a nearly 145-year-old bridge so he can sail his $485 million super yacht out after finishing construction on the vessel. 

The Oceanco shipyard in Alblasserdam near Rotterdam has nearly completed the construction of Y721 , the former Amazon CEO’s yacht, but the vessel is too big to sail out with the bridge as it is. The builders asked the local council to remove the bridge’s central section so the yacht can pass. 

Jeff Bezos' superyacht in the Oceanco shipyard. The $485 million vessel will have a height over 130 feet.  (Courtesy Tom van Oossanen/IG: @tomvanoossanen)

"It's the only route to the sea," a spokesman for the mayor of Rotterdam told AFP , adding that billionaire Bezos, 57, would pay for the operation. The super yacht, which will be the largest boat built in Oceanco and one of the largest ever built, requires a 130-foot clearance, at least, to pass through. 

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The Koningshaven Bridge, known to locals as De Hef, dates from 1878 but was rebuilt after the Nazis bombed it in 1940 during World War II. The local council replaced the original swing bridge design after several traffic jams and collisions, changing it to a lifting bridge. 

The local council completed a major repair on the bridge in 2017 and promised not to dismantle the bridge again. 

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The shipbuilders dismissed suggestions that they sail a partially-finished vessel down the river and finish it elsewhere. Marcel Walravens, who managed the renovation, said it would prove impractical. 

"If you carry out a big job somewhere, you want all your tools in that place," Walravens told Rijnmond . "Otherwise you have to go back and forth constantly."

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Walravens noted that the municipality considers the project "very important." 

"Rotterdam has also been declared the maritime capital of Europe," he explained. "Shipbuilding and activity within that sector are therefore an important pillar for the municipality."

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Breaking news, rotterdam won’t dismantle bridge for jeff bezos’ super-yacht.

The shipyard that’s building Jeff Bezos’ massive 417-foot-high super-yacht reportedly has scrapped plans to ask the Dutch city of Rotterdam to dismantle a landmark bridge to make way for the Amazon founder’s seaborne plaything.

Oceanco, the company that was commissioned to build Bezos’ $500 million vessel, has abandoned a plan to have Rotterdam temporarily take apart Koningshavenbrug, known locally as “De Hef,” according to the Dutch language news site Trouw.

It is unclear what Oceanco plans to do now that it has abandoned the option of pursuing the bridge’s dismantling.

The article, which cited a backlash from local residents for the about-face, was translated by the site DutchNews.nl. The site obtained documents through the country’s freedom of information laws showing that Oceanco was so taken aback by the public backlash to the original plan that it decided not to go through with it.

The company had said that it needed to have the bridge taken apart in order to allow the super-yacht to sail into the North Sea.

Rotterdammers were so up in arms over the plan that they organized Facebook groups to mount protests. Some have even threatened to pelt Bezos’ super-yacht, which is said to be among the largest vessels in the world, with rotten eggs .

The 150-year-old steel structure, which has a 130-foot clearance and which spans the Meuse River, was refurbished in 2017 after it was bombed during the Second World War. The bridge has gained landmark status and was converted into a national monument.

Rotterdammers noted that city officials pledged it would not dismantle the bridge after the recent renovations from five years ago.

The city of Rotterdam reportedly opposed making the information obtained by Trouw public due to the threats it is said to have received from opponents of the plan.

Bezos’ Y721 super-yacht will be one of the biggest sailing vessels ever made in the Netherlands, which is a hub for boat construction for the very wealthy,  according to Bloomberg .

The yacht’s towering height has presented other problems for the world’s  second-richest man . The boat’s tall masts would present a hazard to helicopters, so the former Amazon CEO commissioned a support yacht with a helipad to follow in its wake, the outlet said.

Yacht Charter

• Super Yacht Flying Fox

About Super Yacht Flying Fox

Flying Fox is the 14th biggest yacht in the world. She is now available for charter. The Italian media dubbed her the 'Jeff Bezos Yacht,' but Amazon issued a statement denying his participation. Jeff Bezos is in the process of building a huge sailing boat .

FLYING FOX, a 136m luxury superyacht for charter, has been tasked with becoming the new definition of a tailor-made and one-of-a-kind charter adventure. She is currently only available through Imperial, who is serving as Charter's Central Agent.

Her curvy and extraordinary exterior design, combined with her dove grey hull designed by award-winning  Espen Øino , combine to create a spectacular and one-of-a-kind vessel. Her 136-metre length and PYC compliance, as well as her 22.5m broad beam, offer a pleasant living area and a distinctive design on both the outside and inside. FLYING FOX can accommodate up to 25 people: her elegant, modern interior design by Mark Berryman includes 11 staterooms for 25 guests in night mode, all with private sea-view terraces.

The 12-metre swimming pool that runs transversely on the Main deck is a first for a superyacht of this scale and a technological challenge unlocked. For those wishing to escape the outer world, FLYING FOX is designed with a never-previously-seen 400sqm 2-floor Spa with the greatest assets and treatments that only a palace can give.

Lurssen Yachts just delivered the boat. She was dubbed "Project SHU." On AIS data, her name was changed to Flying Fox. Her first stopover was in Norway. She has since spent time in the Mediterranean, visiting Cannes, Capri, and Sardinia. She spent the winter of 2019/2020 in the Maldives and conducted several charters. She will return to the Mediterranean in June 2020.

One of the World's Largest Yachts

The Flying Fox is one of the world's biggest yachts. She is the world's 14th biggest yacht in terms of length. A location shared with the well-known boat Savarona . Which is the exact same length.

However, she is a significantly larger yacht than Savarona. Because she has a lot of loudness. She is 136 meters (446 feet) long and has a beam of 20.5 meters (67ft). Her draught measures 5 meters.

Espen Øino designed the boat. Its hull is made of steel, while her superstructure is made of aluminum. She's propelled by two MTU engines. According to AIS data, the vessel has a peak speed of 15 knots and a cruising speed of 10 knots. However, we believe she is capable of faster speeds.

A big pool on the main deck aft is one of the yacht's attractions. There's also a cinema, an elevator, and two helipads. She has the capacity to transport the biggest helicopters on the market.

She features a wide beach area as well as a number of swim platforms. The boat offers a two-deck spa that includes a gym, sauna, hammam, and massage room. The boat is equipped with a hospital and a decompression chamber.

Yacht Purchase Price

We anticipate that the superyacht will cost (at least) $300 million . She takes the place of a 73-meter Nobiskrug yacht. She was sold and is now named Dytan .

Imperial Yachts can arrange for the Flying Fox yacht to be chartered. The yacht is not available for purchase.

The boat is equipped with an Airbus H155 helicopter. With VP-CFF registration. The unit cost of an Airbus H155 is $10 million.

Owner of a Flying Fox

According to reports in Italy and Turkey, the boat is owned by US billionaire Jeff Bezos . However, we do not believe Flying Fox is Jeff Bezos' yacht. Amazon's Chairman, CEO, and President is Jeff Bezos. His net worth is estimated to be $ 165 billion. As a result, he can afford such a boat. Amazon.com issued a statement denying his participation.

Dmitry Vladimirovich Kamenshchik , according to some reports, is the owner of the Lürssen superyacht Flying Fox.

Dmitry Vladimirovich Kamenshchik is the chairman and owner of Moscow Domodedovo Airport in Russia. According to Forbes, he is the 27th richest Russian businessman, with a net worth of $3.8 billion as of April 2015.

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Jeff Bezos superyacht will cause historic Rotterdam bridge

There are plans to take apart, and then reassemble, a historic bridge in Rotterdam to allow a superyacht built for billionaire Jeff Bezos to leave a shipyard.

Axar.az reports that the luxury yacht, linked to the world's richest man, is being built by Dutch firm Oceanco. The vessel is reported to be 127m long and too tall to fit through the Koningshaven Bridge.

Rotterdam's mayor has denied any decision has been made to dismantle the bridge, saying he has not received a request.

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