A superyacht being built for Amazon founder Jeff Bezos is generating some super buzz due to the fact that a historic bridge in the Netherlands will have to be partially dismantled to allow the vessel to reach open seas.
The 417-foot-long, triple-masted sailing yacht, known as Project Y721, is being built at a reported price tag of $500 million by Alblasserdam, Netherlands-based Oceanco.
The Washington Post — a newspaper that Bezos bought for half the price of his boat — reported that in order to reach the ocean, the Y721 will have to pass through the Dutch city of Rotterdam. Standing in the way is the 95-year-old Koningshaven Bridge, known locally as De Hef, with a clearance of 131 feet.
The Post, following reporting by Dutch broadcaster Rijnmond, said that city officials have confirmed that the bridge will be temporarily dismantled to make way for Bezos’ yacht. But Rotterdam will not be paying for the project and a spokeswoman told the Post that the shipbuilder will bear the cost of finding a company to dismantle and reassemble the bridge.
Originally built in 1927, De Hef is considered a city monument and source of local pride. It served as a railway crossing and its central span can be lifted to allow (smaller) ships to pass beneath. It was renovated and reassembled in 2017.
Y721 — or whatever Bezos ends up calling it — will take on the title of world’s largest sailing yacht, among other records, upon delivery.