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Jeff Bezos’ unfinished mega yacht was towed away from a Dutch shipbuilding yard before dawn Tuesday just weeks after Rotterdam residents threatened to pelt the luxury vessel with eggs if the city went through with plans to dismantle a landmark bridge to make way for the $500 million ship.

The 417-foot long, three-masted yacht, which goes by the name Y721 , was relocated from the Oceanco shipyard in Alblasserdam to the Greenport yard just 24 miles away in Rotterdam, according to the German-language daily Der Spiegel.

Video of the towing was posted to YouTube by Dutch yacht enthusiast Hanco Bol.

“We never saw a transport going that fast,” Bol writes of what he witnessed. It took less than three hours for the ship to travel southwest along the Noord canal even though it normally requires nearly twice as much time to traverse the route, according to Bol.

Jeff Bezos' unfinished super yacht was towed away from a Dutch shipyard before dawn on Tuesday, according to a report out of Europe.

He speculates that Oceanco, the company that was commissioned to build the yacht, chose the timing of the move in order to keep it under wraps given the considerable publicity it has generated.

Rotterdammers who were furious about plans to dismantle “De Hef” bridge , also known as Koningshaven, had threatened to pelt the yacht with eggs if it made the journey.

Bol writes that the yacht’s route was designed to avoid traveling through the Rotterdam city center and underneath “De Hef” — even though it would have saved more time.

Oceanco, the shipbuilding company commissioned to construct the super yacht, dropped its demand for the city of Rotterdam to temporarily dismantle a landmark bridge, "De Hef," in order to allow the vessel to sail out to sea.

Oceanco last month announced that it had dropped its request for the Rotterdam city council to approve the temporary dismantling of the bridge.

The company had indicated that Bezos, the Amazon founder and second-richest person in the world, was willing to foot the bill for the removal of the middle section of the span so that the yacht would be able to sail through the Nieuwe Mass River.

Bol speculates that Oceanco intentionally avoided towing the unfinished yacht underneath “De Hef.”

“I think that was intentional,” he told Der Spiegel. 

“When I was standing on one of the bridges, they shined a searchlight on me, so it wasn’t easy for me to take pictures.”

According to Dutch media reports, it will take several more months for the ship to be completed.

The Post has reached out to Amazon and Oceanco seeking comment.

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

Rachel Treisman

bezos yacht and bridge

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

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

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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The Koningshaven bridge, known to Rotterdammers as De Hef.

Rotterdam to partly dismantle historic bridge for Jeff Bezos’s superyacht

Central section of Koningshaven Bridge to be removed to make way for Amazon founder’s $485m superyacht

A historic steel bridge in the Dutch port city of Rotterdam is to be partly dismantled to allow a superyacht built for Amazon founder Jeff Bezos to pass, local authorities have announced.

Bezos’s gigantic, 430-million-euro ($485m) yacht is too big for the iconic Koningshaven Bridge, which dates from 1878 and was rebuilt after being bombed by the Nazis in 1940 during the second world war.

The shipyard building the three-masted mammoth in Alblasserdam, near Rotterdam, has asked the local council to remove the bridge’s central section so it can pass through.

“It’s the only route to the sea,” a spokesperson for the mayor of Rotterdam told AFP, adding that the Amazon owner would foot the bill for the operation.

The decision has angered some in the Netherlands as the local council promised after a major renovation in 2017 that it would never again dismantle the bridge, known to Rotterdammers as De Hef.

The mayor’s office emphasised the economic benefits and jobs created by the construction of the boat, but promised that the bridge would be rebuilt in its current form.

The middle section of the huge steel-girdered bridge will be removed to give enough clearance for the 40-metre (130-foot) high boat, Dutch media reported.

The Y721 at the shipyard of Dutch shipbuilder Oceanco.

The process will take a few weeks and is expected to happen this summer.

Bezos, 57, is one of the world’s richest men after transforming online bookseller Amazon into a global shopping giant.

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

Early morning sunshine on the River Maas and de Hef railway bridge, Koningshaven

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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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.

rotterdam zugbrücke 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.

raised bridge over the rhine

"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.

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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.

Headshot of Emily Burack

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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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.   

NETHERLANDS-TOURISM-FEATURE

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. 

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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 Streaming to discuss her reporting.

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Yacht reportedly built for Bezos too big for Dutch bridge

View of the Koningshaven Bridge, known as De Hef, (The Lift), in Rotterdam, Netherlands, Thursday, Feb. 3, 2022. A plan to dismantle the historic bridge in the heart of Dutch port city so that a huge yacht, reportedly being built for Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, can get to the North Sea is unlikely to be plain sailing. Reports this week that the city had already agreed to take apart the recently restored bridge sparked anger in the city, with one Facebook group set up calling for people to pelt the multimillion dollar yacht with rotten eggs. (AP Photo/Peter Dejong)

View of the Koningshaven Bridge, known as De Hef, (The Lift), in Rotterdam, Netherlands, Thursday, Feb. 3, 2022. A plan to dismantle the historic bridge in the heart of Dutch port city so that a huge yacht, reportedly being built for Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, can get to the North Sea is unlikely to be plain sailing. Reports this week that the city had already agreed to take apart the recently restored bridge sparked anger in the city, with one Facebook group set up calling for people to pelt the multimillion dollar yacht with rotten eggs. (AP Photo/Peter Dejong)

View of a yacht, reportedly being built for Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, on the wharf in Zwijndrecht, near Rotterdam, Netherlands, Wednesday, Oct. 21, 2021. A plan to dismantle a historic bridge in the heart of Dutch port city Rotterdam so that the huge yacht can get to the North Sea is unlikely to be plain sailing. Reports this week that the city had already agreed to take apart the recently restored Koningshaven Bridge, known locally as De Hef sparked anger in the city, with one Facebook group set up calling for people to pelt the multimillion dollar yacht with rotten eggs. (AP Photo/Guy Fleury)

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ROTTERDAM, Netherlands (AP) — A giant, $500 million yacht reportedly being built for Amazon founder Jeff Bezos faces a delivery problem: It may require dismantling a beloved, historic bridge in Rotterdam that is blocking its passage to the sea.

Reports this week that the Dutch city had already agreed to take apart the recently renovated Koningshaven Bridge, known locally as De Hef, sparked anger. On Facebook, locals are proposing to pelt the yacht with rotten eggs when it passes through.

However, a spokeswoman for Mayor Ahmed Aboutaleb told The Associated Press on Friday that while a shipbuilder has requested temporarily taking apart the bridge this summer, no permit has yet been sought or granted.

Many Rotterdam residents are still concerned.

“I think it’s easy to understand why it’s so controversial because this is a very beautiful, recently restored old bridge,” said Lizette Touber. “It really is our heritage. And I think that if the rich can pay for it to be opened, which normally nobody else could do, then you get controversy.”

In a written statement, Aboutaleb, who is on a visit to Colombia, said that once a request for a permit is submitted it will be assessed based on factors including economic impact, environmental nuisance and possible risks to the “monumental structure” of the bridge.

“When the permit has been applied for, the municipality can make a decision about this, details can be further elaborated and a plan can be made in the event of a positive decision,” the statement said.

The municipality declined to comment on who owns the yacht in question or identify the shipbuilder. An email sent to Amazon seeking comment went unanswered. A report by Bloomberg in May 2021 said the yacht was being built for Bezos by Oceanco at a cost of “upwards of $500 million.”

The current Hef railway bridge was opened for trains to cross the Maas River in 1927 and taken out of service in 1993 when it was replaced by a tunnel. Public protests spared it from demolition and it eventually underwent a three-year renovation that ended in 2017. The middle section of the bridge can be raised to allow ships to pass underneath, but apparently not high enough for the new yacht’s masts.

Ton Wesselink, chairman of a Rotterdam historical society, feared that a decision to allow one yacht through the bridge could set a precedent for others.

“The thing we don’t want is that this yacht issue will open the possibility for shipbuilders to use it the same way,” he said in an email to AP.

But there were voices of support for the proposal.

“I think it’s fine. Let Bezos pay a high price. It creates work. I only see upsides,” said Rotterdam resident Ria van den Vousten.

“If it is paid for and everybody makes some money, don’t complain. Don’t talk, but act, as we say in Rotterdam,” she added.

Corder reported from The Hague.

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

By Katherine McLaughlin

De Hef bridge in Rotterdam

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. 

Up close shot of central lift of De Hef bridge

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. 

De Hef bridge at sunrise

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. 

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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. 

Bezos Yacht Holland Rotterdam Oceanco

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. 

SHIRTLESS JEFF BEZOS COZIES UP TO GIRLFRIEND LAUREN SANCHEZ ON YACHT DURING ST. BARTS GETAWAY

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. 

KIM KARDASHIAN, PETE DAVIDSON HAVE DINNER AT JEFF BEZOS' LA MANSION

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. 

Bezos Yacht Holland Rotterdam Oceanco

"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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The Country That Wants to ‘Be Average’ vs. Jeff Bezos and His $500 Million Yacht

Why did Rotterdam stand between one of the world’s richest men and his boat? The furious response is rooted in Dutch values.

bezos yacht and bridge

By David Segal

ROTTERDAM, Netherlands — The image would have been a social media phenomenon: a few thousand citizens of the Netherlands’ second-largest city, standing beside a river and hurling eggs at the gleaming, new 417-foot sailing yacht built for Jeff Bezos, Amazon’s founder and one of the world’s richest men. By the time the boat passed the crowd, it would have been spattered with bright orange yolk, plus at least one very bright spot of red.

“I would have thrown a tomato,” said Stefan Lewis, a former City Council member. “I eat mostly vegan.”

One recent afternoon, Mr. Lewis was standing near the Hef, as the Koningshaven Bridge is affectionately known, and explaining the anger that Mr. Bezos and Oceanco, the maker of the three-masted, $500 million schooner, inspired after making what may have sounded like a fairly benign request. The company asked the local government to briefly dismantle the elevated middle span of the Hef, which is 230 feet tall at its highest point, allowing the vessel to sail down the King’s Harbor channel and out to sea. The whole process would have taken a day or two and Oceanco would have covered the costs.

Also worth noting: The bridge, a lattice of moss-green steel in the shape of a hulking “H,” is not actually used by anyone. It served as a railroad bridge for decades until it was replaced by a tunnel and decommissioned in the early 1990s. It’s been idle ever since.

In sum, the operation would have been fast, free and disrupted nothing. So why the fuss?

“There’s a principle at stake,” said Mr. Lewis, a tall, bearded 37-year-old who was leaning against his bike and toggling during an interview between wry humor and indignation. He then framed the principle with a series of questions. “What can you buy if you have unlimited cash? Can you bend every rule? Can you take apart monuments?”

In late June, the city’s vice mayor reported that Oceanco had withdrawn its request to dismantle the Hef, a retreat that was portrayed as a victory of the masses over a billionaire, though it was much more than that. It was an opportunity to see Dutch and American values in a fiery, head-on collision. The more you know about the Netherlands — with its preference for modesty over extravagance, for the community over the individual, for fitting in rather than standing out — the more it seems as though this kerfuffle was scripted by someone whose goal was to drive people here out of their minds.

The first problem was the astounding wealth of Mr. Bezos.

“The Dutch like to say, ‘Acting normal is crazy enough,’” said Ellen Verkoelen, a City Council member and Rotterdam leader of the 50Plus Party, which works on behalf of pensioners. “And we think that rich people are not acting normal. Here in Holland, we don’t believe that everybody can be rich the way people do in America, where the sky is the limit. We think ‘Be average.’ That’s good enough.”

Ms. Verkoelen was among those who considered Oceanco’s request a reasonable concession to a company in a highly competitive industry. But she heard from dozens of infuriated voters, all of them adamantly opposed. She understood the origins of the fervor, which she illustrated with a story from her childhood.

“When I was about 11 years old, we had an American boy stay with us for a week, an exchange student,” she recalled. “And my mother told him, just make your own sandwich like you do in America. Instead of putting one sausage on his bread, he put on five. My mother was too polite to say anything to him, but to me she said in Dutch, ‘We will never eat like that in this house.’”

At school, Ms. Verkoelen learned from friends that the American children in their homes all ate the same way. They were stunned and a little jealous. At the time, it was said in the Netherlands that putting both butter and cheese on your bread was “the devil’s sandwich.” Choose one, went the thinking. You don’t need both.

Building the earth’s biggest sailing yacht and taking apart a city’s beloved landmark? That’s the devil’s all-you-can-eat buffet.

The streak of austerity in Dutch culture can be traced to Calvinism, say residents, the most popular religious branch of Protestantism here for hundreds of years. It emphasizes virtues like self-discipline, frugality and conscientiousness. Polls suggest that most people in the Netherlands today are not churchgoers, but the norms are embedded, as evidenced by Dutch attitudes toward wealth.

“Calvin teaches that you’re given stewardship over your money, that you have a responsibility to take care of it, which means giving lots of it away, being generous to others,” said James Kennedy, a professor of modern Dutch history at Utrecht University. “Work is a divine calling for which you will be held accountable. It’s considered bad for society and bad for your soul if you spend in ostentatious ways.”

There are billionaires in the Netherlands and a huge pay gap between chief executives and employees. Statista, a research firm, reported that for every dollar earned by an average worker, C.E.O.s earned $171. (The figure is $265 in the United States, the widest gap of any country.) The difference is that the rich in the Netherlands don’t flaunt it, just as the powerful don’t highlight their cachet. The Dutch once ran one of the world’s largest empires but there’s a certain pride here that the prime minister of the country rides a bicycle to pay visits to the king — yes, the Netherlands has a royal family, which is also relatively low-key — and locks the bicycle outside the palace.

There’s a premium on equality that has survived the country’s struggles to assimilate immigrants and a gentrification boom that is pricing the middle- and working-class out of cities. An ethos endures that nobody is any better than anyone else, or deserves more, and it stems from an unignorable geographic fact. Roughly one-third of the Netherlands is below sea level and citizens for centuries have had little choice but to band together to create an infrastructure of dikes and drainage systems to remain alive.

“The Netherlands is built on cooperation,” said Paul van de Laar, a professor of history at Erasmus University. “There were constant threats of disaster from the 15th and 16th century. Protestants and Catholics knew that to survive, they could not quarrel too much.”

Chip in. Blend in. Help others. These are among the highest ideals of the Netherlands. Does this sound like a country eager to cut some slack to a man with $140 billion and a $500 million boat?

It didn’t help that Dutch critics of Mr. Bezos believe that employees at Amazon are underpaid, which, given his fortune, strikes them as not just grotesquely unfair but immoral. “He doesn’t pay his taxes,” is a common refrain in this city, and it doesn’t mean that Mr. Bezos is considered a tax cheat. It means that he isn’t fighting inequality by sharing his money, an obligation that transcends the tax code.

(Emails to Amazon were not returned. Mr. Bezos did not respond to a ProPublica article last year, based on leaked Internal Revenue Service files, that showed he paid a tiny percent of his fortune in federal income taxes, using perfectly legal methods.)

The Rotterdam vs. Bezos brawl first made international headlines in February, when news broke that Oceanco had been granted city approval to briefly take apart the middle of the Hef. (The cost of this operation was never made public.) The assent had come from a civil servant who apparently didn’t see the harm. An uproar ensued.

“I thought it was a joke,” said Mr. Lewis, who learned about the permission on Facebook from incredulous friends. “So I called the vice mayor’s office and asked, ‘Is this for real?’ And they said, ‘We don’t know anything about this.’ It wasn’t on their radar. It took them a day to get back to me.”

When word of the accommodation reached the public, fuming residents became a staple of local TV news and a Facebook group formed to organize that mass egg pelting. (“Dismantling the Hef for Jeff Bezos’ latest toy? Come throw eggs…”) One aggrieved council member soon likened the masts of the yacht to a giant middle finger, pointed at the city.

Oceanco, which employs more than 300 people, has not spoken publicly about its decision to rescind its Hef request and did not respond to an email for comment. News reports stated that the company was concerned about threats against employees and about vandalism.

It’s unclear how the yacht, now known as Y721, will be completed. In February, the City Council’s municipality liaison, Marcel Walravens, was quoted in the media saying that it was impractical to float the mast-less yacht to another location and finish it there.

To Professor van de Laar, the real villain in this tale is not Oceanco or Mr. Bezos, who probably had never heard of the Hef. It’s the City Council, which completely misunderstood the depth of feelings about the bridge and bungled the messaging about its decision.

“Emotions are important,” he said. “The council didn’t grasp that, which is incredibly stupid.”

The issue wasn’t just this particular billionaire and this particular yacht. It was this particular bridge. To outsiders, the Hef looks like an ungainly industrial workhorse that no longer works.

That’s not what locals see. When opened in 1927 it was considered an architectural marvel, one celebrated by the Dutch documentarian Joris Ivens, in his 1928 film “The Bridge.”

“There are poems about the Hef,” said Arij De Boode, co-author of “The Hef: Biography of a Railroad Bridge.” “Anyone who makes a movie about Rotterdam includes the Hef. It’s more than a bridge.”

Rotterdam is one of the few European cities in which nearly all the buildings, both commercial and residential, are new because the place was bombed to devastating effect by the Nazis in World War II. It turned this into a city of the future, always looking ahead, tearing down whatever doesn’t work or isn’t needed.

Except for the Hef. It has become the city’s most recognizable landmark. After the war, it became a symbol of resilience and to locals of an older generation, the Hef is a rare link to the past.

When there was talk decades ago of tearing it down, residents protested. It was declared a national monument in 2000 and underwent a three-year restoration that ended in 2017. Today, the Hef stands as a triumph of function over form that no longer functions, a monolith that can’t be altered, even temporarily — no matter who asks, no matter the price.

David Segal is a Business section reporter based in London. More about David Segal

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Bezos Didn't Even Need to Dismantle Bridge to Move Yacht

Turns out, there were plenty of options for moving the world's largest yacht that didn't involve taking apart the koningshaven bridge in rotterdam..

Image for article titled Bezos Didn't Even Need to Dismantle Bridge to Move Yacht

Amazon founder Jeff Bezos’ big fancy new boat slipped silently from its berth at a Dutch shipyard in the wee hours of Tuesday morning without needing to dismantle any major historical pieces of infrastructure. Instead, the mega super yacht was towed a little out of its way to another shipyard without its mast.

Apparently, that was always an option.

The vessel, with the catchy name Y721, has been under construction for years and still has many months to go before it’s in the hands of one of history’s wealthiest individuals. Built by Oceanco at a shipyard in Alblasserdam, Netherlands, the company originally announced the masts of the yacht would be too tall to fit under the almost 100-year-old Koningshaven Bridge, which caused quite the controversy in the Netherlands . Oceanco applied for a permit to dismantle the bridge and reassemble it once the Y721 had passed through downtown Rotterdam, all at Bezos’ expense.

Known to locals as De Hef, the former railway bridge is a national heritage site. It was heavily damaged by Luftwaffe bombing during WWII. During renovations in 2017, Rotterdam’s city council promised residents the bridge would never again be dismantled. When Oceanco applied for the permit to do exactly that, the Dutch reacted with anger and a promise to lob eggs at the megayacht as it passed through their city, which over 3,000 people signed up on a Facebook group to do. Some went even further, threatening the company with violence should the bridge be dismantled, according to the German publication Der Spiegel . Rotterdam eventually denied the Oceanco the permit to dismantle De Hef.

Instead, the Y721 slipped out of its original shipyard around 3 a.m. Tuesday morning without its three towering masts and under the power of several tugs to head three hours to the Greenport shipyard in Rotterdam. Footage of the Y721 making its way to its new home was captured by Dutch Yachting :

It took three hours for the yacht to make it to Greenport, a trip that usually takes vessels twice as long under tow. The yacht even took a longer, more complicated route to avoid the bridge altogether, even though without its masts it could have slipped beneath the De Her undeterred. At Greenport, the masts will be installed and the ship will be tested at sea. The testing phase provided another wrinkle in the plan to dismantle the De Hef: After initial testing in open water, yachts often have to return to shipyards for improvements and repairs, which would have required even more bridge dismantling.

The 417-foot superyacht cost Bezos an estimated half-a-billion dollars to build and, when finally underway, will earn the title of largest sailing vessel in the world. Oceanco specializes in “green” sailing yacht and motorized vessels.

Luxurylaunches -

Jeff Bezos’ Koru superyacht is so tall that for routine maintenance if it were to sail to the Oceanco facility in the Netherlands where it was built, a historic bridge would have to be dismantled. To avoid that and irking the locals, the $500 million vessel is being repaired in France.

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Moscow to get 7 new state-of-the-art bridges (PHOTOS)

bezos yacht and bridge

Moscow authorities are going to build seven new bridges in different parts of the city. Some of them are to be pedestrian-only, others are aimed to connect new living areas with transport hubs and metro stations, while yet others could reduce traffic jams. Each of the projects is unique and has its own features - there is even a bridge with a sail!

Take a look at the upcoming bridges designed by the Committee on Architecture and Urban Planning of the city of Moscow.

1. A pedestrian bridge will be built in the very center of Moscow connecting the Balchug Island with Yakimanskaya Embankment via the Vodotvodny Canal. It will be an important part of a touristic route and give an easier access to the new GES-2 cultural center and other venues of the island. The bridge’s feature is a metal beam splitting it into parts which divides the flow of cyclists and pedestrians. And, at the same time, the beam will serve as a bench.

bezos yacht and bridge

2. A new automobile bridge is to appear in Filevsky park district and will connect Myasishcheva Street and Mnevniki metro station. 

bezos yacht and bridge

3. A 250-meter “Sail” bridge across the Moskva River on the East of Moscow will link Novozavodskaya Street from the Fili park and Terekhovo park. Its construction remains a galley boat. It will have only one pylon and a relatively small height for such spans. The frame holding the roadbed will be the first of its kind in the world.

bezos yacht and bridge

4. Another bridge on the East of Moscow will connect Ostrovnaya Street of the Krylatskoye and Mnevniki districts, a ten minute walk from the new Terekhovo metro station. Graceful arches of the bridge are reminiscent of a kind of “gate”.

bezos yacht and bridge

5. The pedestrian and cycling bridge to Fili Park resembles a thread through the eye of a needle. This seemingly fragile construction will complete the creation of a walkway between the Mnevniki and Fili parks. It will also be located 700 meters away from the Terekhovo metro station.

bezos yacht and bridge

6. A six-lane automobile bridge will connect Beregovoy and Prichalny driveways and the developing living areas of the both sides of the Moskva River. The bridge will also have pedestrian and cycling passes and give access to a new fancy embankment.

bezos yacht and bridge

7. This new bridge will connect Nagatinsky Zaton and Pechatniki districts in the south of Moscow and will be situated next to the new ‘Nagatinsky Zaton’ metro station, currently under construction. Along the 240-meter-long crescent-shaped structure, there are sharp steel masts that look like ice peaks rising out of the water from a distance. 

bezos yacht and bridge

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bezos yacht and bridge

Mark Zuckerberg’s $300million ‘birthday present’ mega yacht arrives in US – it even has its own $30m ‘wingman’ boat

  • Isabelle Hajek , Freelance News & Blogs Reporter
  • Published : 5:05, 21 Mar 2024
  • Updated : 5:36, 21 Mar 2024

FACEBOOK Co-founder Mark Zuckerberg has shown off his wealth at sea, bringing his multimillion-dollar yacht to the United States just weeks before his birthday.

After rumors the billionaire was looking to invest in a yacht began circulating, Zuckerberg was quick to snag a $300 million mega yacht complete with its own $30 million partner boat.

Mark Zuckerberg's $300 million mega yacht arrived in port just days after the billionaire's 40th birthday

He was seen in the Netherlands touring Project 1010, a Russian-commissioned mega yacht, in early March as said rumors began.

Due to sanctions involved in importing the vessel to the United States, delivery of Zuckerberg's multimillion-dollar boat was delayed, first being spotted in home waters on March 20.

The 387-foot long vessel docked at Port Everglades in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, with its chrome finish reflecting a harsh sun.

Project 1010 made its maiden voyage from the Netherlands after receiving special permission to be imported just weeks ahead of Zuckerberg's birthday on May 14, raising questions around whether it could be a gift to mark the occasion.

The mega vessel is not far off the size of Amazon mogul Jeff Bezos' $500 million 417-foot tall mega yacht, Koru, which was spotted in the same state in November of 2023.

The Abeona, his mega yacht's support vessel, contained a 264-foot garage holding Bezos' luxury cars, private helicopter, and jet skis, was docked at a slip four miles away.

To put into perspective the additional costs Zuckerberg is looking at, Bezos reportedly bankrolled a $16,500 per week bill for the Koru to stay at the port, a part of the $25 million in annual costs ship will rack up.

But cost is no object to the 39-year-old, as was the youngest billionaire to make the top 10 wealthiest people in the world list.

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In 2021, Mark Zuckerberg is reportedly worth $108 billion, which rose to $138.4 billion by January of 2024.

Zuckerberg is hardly known for conserving his money when faced with large purchases.

In December 2021, it was reported that Zuckerberg was breaking ground on an estimated $270 million 57,000-square-foot  Doomsday  bunker.

The plans for the structure included filling the football field-sized space with 30 bedrooms, elevators, a swimming pool, a sauna, a tennis court, and a full-sized gym.

EARNING $48,328 - MINUTE BY MINUTE

While a $330 million purchase might sound outlandish to most, especially when coupled with a $270 million bunker, Zuckerberg can make that money back in about two months.

The Meta, formerly Facebook, founder makes between $6 million and $12 million each day, equating to an estimated yearly earning of more than $3 billion.

In 2018, Zuckerberg earned roughly $1.7 million an hour, according to previous Business Insider calculations.

By 2020, he was reportedly ranked the fourth richest person on the planet.

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  • Mark Zuckerberg is the chairman, CEO and co-founder of social networking giant Facebook
  • Born in White Plains, New York in 1984, Zuckerberg already had a “reputation as a programming prodigy” when he started college
  • While at Harvard, Zuckerberg launched a site called Face Mash, on which students ranked the attractiveness of their classmates
  • Harvard shut the site down after its popularity crashed a network and Zuckerberg later apologised saying it was “completely improper”
  • The following term he began working on an early version of Facebook
  • The 33-year-old launched the social network from his dorm room on February 4, 2004 with the help of fellow students
  • The friends would end up embroiled in legal disputes as they challenged Zuckerberg for shares in the company
  • Zuckerberg also faced action from Cameron and Tyler Winklevoss, as well as Divya Narendra who claimed he had stolen their idea – the disagreement was later turned into the film, The Social Network
  • The tech prodigy dropped out of Harvard to focus on Facebook, but received an honorary degree in 2017
  • Speaking about the site to Wired magazine in 2010 he said: “The thing I really care about is the mission, making the world open”
  • By 2012 Facebook had one billion users. By June 2017 it had reached two billion users every month
  • In 2024, Facebook reaches 3.05 billion monthly users
  • Mark Zuckerberg's estimated net worth is $165 billion, which makes him the fourth-richest person in the world
  • Zuckerberg is married to fellow Harvard alumni Priscilla Chan, who he began dating in 2003
  • The couple have three daughters, as well as a Puli dog named Beast
  • Mark Zuckerberg
  • United States

The superyacht world is speculating that Mark Zuckerberg just bought this 118-meter boat

  • The 118-meter superyacht Launchpad made her maiden voyage last week.
  • The yacht world is speculating that her owner is Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg.
  • Here's what we know about the luxury vessel.

Insider Today

In the world of superyachts , privacy is the most valuable asset. It can be next to impossible to discern the details of a superyacht transaction — and that's particularly true if the vessel in question is worth nine figures.

Yet some in the boat blogging world are speculating that Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg is the new owner of Launchpad, a megayacht currently moored in Fort Lauderdale, Florida after she made her maiden voyage from Gibraltar to St Maarten last week. Launchpad clocks in at 118 meters long, about nine meters shorter than Jeff Bezos' superyacht Koru .

The transaction could not be confirmed, with yacht world insiders declining to share what they know and representatives for Zuckerberg not responding to a request for comment from Business Insider. In the past, reports about Zuckerberg owning superyacht Ulysses have proven false.

Related stories

"It is Feadship's standard policy to never divulge any information about our yachts with reference to ownership, costs, or delivery, etc," Feadship, the ship's builder, wrote to BI. "Whether it is an 18-meter Feadship from the 1960s or a 118-meter Feadship from the 21st century, we do not share private information."

But Zuckerberg's name has been connected to Launchpad for a few months now, beginning in December when reports swirled that he visited Feadship's shipyard in the Netherlands.

Then, earlier in March, yachting bloggers like eSysman SuperYachts and Autoevolution started speculating that he officially snagged the boat, originally built for a sanctioned Russian businessman, at a $300 million price tag. (While that's a seemingly huge amount, it's still less than 0.2% of Zuckerberg's $177 billion net worth.)

Another clue that might point to US ownership is that the yacht bears the flag of the Marshall Islands, a US territory and commonplace for American buyers to register their ships, according to public marine tracking.

If Zuckerberg were to have bought Launchpad, he would join a cohort of superyacht-owning tech billionaires . Along with Bezos, the likes of Oracle cofounder Larry Ellison and Google cofounders Sergey Brin and Larry Page have purchased impressive boats with even more impressive amenities.

SuperYacht Times , an industry publication and intelligence platform, has some of the best images of the yacht. Photos show a swimming pool on her main deck and a large helipad.

While less is known of the interior, a vessel of her size can likely sleep dozens of guests and crew and may have amenities like an expansive gym where Zuckerberg could practice his jiu-jitsu or a spa with a massage area. We suspect there's also space for plenty of toys — which could include his viral hydrofoil foil .

Do you have any details about Launchpad or any other superyachts? Email reporter Madeline Berg at [email protected].

Watch: Walmart heiress' superyacht vandalized by activists in Ibiza

bezos yacht and bridge

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Most Beautiful Bridges in Moscow

Can you imagine Moscow travel without a walking bridge experience? Or a Moscow boat trip ? We can’t! Of all things to do in Moscow bridges always add a bit of romance to your city exploring, as well as iconic views, wonderful photo ops and this special feeling of… adventure!

Moscow Bridges

Some of city’s bridges serve as highways, others were built for metro needs and all the rest represent Moscow attractions and marvelous masterpieces of art,  surely worth reading about.

How many bridges in Moscow? What Moscow bridge is the most beautiful? The most romantic? The oldest? The longest? Join us on our Moscow city tour !

Moscow attractions

Krymsky Bridge in Moscow

Interesting facts about Moscow bridges:

  • The total number of bridges in Moscow is 450.

Beautiful views in Moscow

Romantic views of Moscow

  • For romantic views Moscow offers you: 34 bridges over the Moskva river, 70 bridges over the Yauza river and 7 metro bridges
  • The longest and the highest bridge (1460 m.) is Zhivopisny Bridge.
  • Krymsky Bridge (688 m.) was considered to be the longest bridge in Europe in 1938.

Bridges in Moscow

Crimean bridge in Moscow

Gorky Park, Moscow

Iconic places in Moscow, Gorky Park

Romantic Moscow - Moscow bridges

Walking bridges in Moscow

  • Abramtsevsky train bridge is the shortest one, just 10 m!
  • Bolshoy Moskvoretsky Bridge is located in the place of the previous oldest temporary bridges in Mocow. Its modern version was built in 1938.
  • Bolshoy Kamenny Bridge is the first stone bridge over the Moskva river. (it was demounted a few times and was rebuilt again)
  • Luzhnetsky metro bridge is the place for the longest platform of metro station – Sparrow Hills (272 m.) One more fun fact about its shape – it has two floors; upper one is for cars and lower one is for metro.

what to do in msocow - moscow walking bridges

Moscow travel with walking bridges

  • Gorbaty Bridge (Curved bridge) – originally it was built 200 hundred years ago over one of the inflows of the Presnya river that doesn’t exist anymore.
  • Luzhkov Bridge is the most well-known place among local sweethearts who usually hang a lock with their names here in order to perpetuate their love.
  • Bohdan Khmelnitsky Bridge – named after the famous Ukranian leader of the 17 th century this place became the record holding bridge for the most number of simultaneously kissing couples. 2,226 people shared a kiss there on the 16th of February 12 years ago.

What to do in Moscow

Moscow cathedral, views from the walking bridge

Bolshoy Kamenny Bridge (Big Stone Bridge)

Actually nowadays this bridge is not stone, it’s made of steel and it locates right in the centre of Moscow, connecting the western end of the Kremlin with Zamoskvorechye (beautiful historical area).

Modern bridge got its name after the previous one that was made of stone. Can you imagine that the old bridge was much wider than some of the streets in Moscow in those days and one can find shops and pubs on its edges.  During the 18 th century it was damaged by a great number of floods and became unstable and dilapidated. A little bit later the government decided to demolish it.

The existing bridge was completed by 1938.

Moscow river cruise

Good photo ops in Moscow

Patriarshy Bridge

Being one of the youngest pedestrian bridges in Moscow this beauty is a popular place for walking as it is situated right opposite the Christ the Savior Cathedral spanning over the Moskva River and Vodootvodny canal.

This place is also well-known among newly weds, one can see a lot of locks with the names of couples who want to perpetuate their love for ever, this bridge is quite similar to Luzhkov bridge that is located closer to the Kremlin. It’s also great for night walks as the bridge and cathedral are illuminated with hundreds of stunning  lights.

Moscow boat trip

Moscow river cruise

Krymsky Bridge (Crimean Bridge)

An interesting fact about this goodly one is that it’s the only suspension bridge in Moscow.  It was constructed in 1938 being a part of Stalin’s reconstruction of downtown Moscow. It spans over the Moskva river having Sadovoe Kolco highway (Garden Ring) atop.

things ot do in moscow - walking bridges

Moscow bridges – romantic thing to do in Moscow

Pushkinsky Bridge or Andreevsky Bridge

This beautiful pedestrian bridge over the Moscow River connecting Pushkinskaya Embankment and Frunzenskaya Embankment was build not that long ago – in 1999-2000 – using some of the constructions of the old Andreevsky rail bridge erected between 1905-07.

The best  time to visit it is at night because its fantastically illuminated  and its fabulous shape will remind you of fairy tales. This bridge is an awesome viewpoint to downtown Moscow leading to the Gorky Park – t he off beaten path to Moscow night life and fun.

Best places for photoshoot in Moscow

Red October cluster in Moscow

Zhivopisny Bridge (Picturesque bridge)

Its hard not to mention one of the most impressive bridges in Moscow – Zhivopisny Bridge. (Picturesque bridge)

Located not in the downtown, this futuristic arch is one of the most popular bridges in Moscow just because this first cable-stayed bridge is the highest (about 105 m. high, 1,5 km long, 37 m. wide) bridge of this kind in Europe leading to one of the largest natural parks in Moscow (Serebryanny bor — Silver bore).

On top you can see a disc object resembling  UFO that firstly meant to be a restaurant but later turned into a register office for marrying couples. A nice place to get married, don’ you think?

moscow travel - night views from the bridge

Christ the Savior Cathedral at night

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IMAGES

  1. Inside Jeff Bezos' New $500 Million Mega Yacht

    bezos yacht and bridge

  2. The Real Story of the Bezos Yacht and the Bridge

    bezos yacht and bridge

  3. Mr. Bezos is at It Again

    bezos yacht and bridge

  4. Jeff Bezos $500 Million Dollar Yacht

    bezos yacht and bridge

  5. De Hef: Jeff Bezos’ superyacht gets towed without having to dismantle

    bezos yacht and bridge

  6. Jeff Bezos’ New Yacht Stuck as Oceanco Rules Out Dismantling Iconic Bridge

    bezos yacht and bridge

VIDEO

  1. Jeff Bezos's sailing yacht Koru and Rotterdam's Koningshaven bridge

  2. By the Numbers: Iconic bridge might be dismantled for Jeff Bezos’ new megayacht

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

  4. Inside Jeff Bezos’ $1 Billion Fleet of Luxury Superyachts

  5. Historic Netherlands bridge to be dismantled for Jeff Bezos' yacht

  6. Inside Jeff Bezos' New $500 Million Mega Yacht

COMMENTS

  1. Jeff Bezos' unfinished mega yacht towed away after bridge drama

    Updated Aug. 4, 2022, 10:46 a.m. ET. Jeff Bezos' unfinished mega yacht was towed away from a Dutch shipbuilding yard before dawn Tuesday just weeks after Rotterdam residents threatened to pelt ...

  2. Jeff Bezos' New Yacht Is Finally Ready to Set Sail

    Mr. Bezos' vessel is a sailing yacht, a departure from the diesel-powered, floating palaces popular with other billionaires. ... and needed to pass the historic Koningshaven Bridge, known as ...

  3. Jeff Bezos' superyacht will see historic bridge dismantled

    Rotterdam has confirmed it will dismantle a historic bridge to allow a superyacht built for Amazon founder Jeff Bezos to fit through. The record-breaking luxury yacht is being built by Dutch firm ...

  4. Rotterdam Won't Dismantle Bridge to Allow Jeff Bezos' Superyacht

    By Claire Moses. July 7, 2022. 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 ...

  5. Rotterdam May Dismantle Part of Bridge for Jeff Bezos' Superyacht

    Feb. 3, 2022. The Dutch city of Rotterdam on Thursday walked back plans to dismantle part of the historic Koningshaven Bridge so that a superyacht built for Amazon's founder, Jeff Bezos, could ...

  6. Dutch locals vow to pummel Bezos' yacht with eggs if famed bridge ...

    The Dutch vow to egg Jeff Bezos' yacht if a bridge is dismantled to let his boat pass. Rotterdam residents appear to be up in arms over a plan to temporarily dismantle the Koningshaven lift bridge ...

  7. Rotterdam to partly dismantle historic bridge for Jeff Bezos's

    Bezos's gigantic, 430-million-euro ($485m) yacht is too big for the iconic Koningshaven Bridge, which dates from 1878 and was rebuilt after being bombed by the Nazis in 1940 during the second ...

  8. 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 ...

  9. Rotterdam Is Not Dismantling a Historic Bridge for Jeff Bezos's Yacht

    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 ...

  10. Jeff Bezos's $500m yacht towed from Dutch shipyard after bridge

    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 ...

  11. Mayor denies Dutch city will dismantle historic bridge for Jeff Bezos

    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 ...

  12. Yacht reportedly built for Bezos too big for Dutch bridge

    ROTTERDAM, Netherlands (AP) — A giant, $500 million yacht reportedly being built for Amazon founder Jeff Bezos faces a delivery problem: It may require dismantling a beloved, historic bridge in Rotterdam that is blocking its passage to the sea. Reports this week that the Dutch city had already agreed to take apart the recently renovated ...

  13. Rotterdam Bridge Will Not Be Dismantled for Jeff Bezos's Superyacht

    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 ...

  14. Dutch Bridge Won't Be Dismantled for Jeff Bezos Megayacht

    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 ...

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

    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 ...

  16. Why Rotterdam Wouldn't Allow a Bridge to Be Dismantled for Bezos' Yacht

    The Hef Bridge, in Rotterdam, Netherlands, was decommissioned as a railroad bridge in the early 1990s. ... new 417-foot sailing yacht built for Jeff Bezos, Amazon's founder and one of the world ...

  17. Bezos Didn't Even Need to Dismantle Bridge to Move Yacht

    Jeff Bezos's 127m/ 417ft Oceanco Y721 yacht was launched today. It took three hours for the yacht to make it to Greenport, a trip that usually takes vessels twice as long under tow. The yacht ...

  18. Good on Jeff Bezos for dismantling a historic bridge for his monster yacht

    Don't make him laugh. Let's backtrack: Jeff Bezos of Amazon fame is having a custom yacht built. Known as Y721, it's set to become the world's largest sailing yacht, reaching 127m tall ...

  19. Jeff Bezos' Koru superyacht is so tall that for routine maintenance if

    Amazon boss Jeff Bezos's $500 million megayacht Koru is gearing up for the upcoming summer season. However, it is not undergoing the refits or repairs at the Oceanco facility in The Netherlands where the yacht was built but at the La Ciotat shipyard in France. The 416-feet Oceanco vessel sailed from the port of Palma to La Ciotat, one of the Mediterranean's most noteworthy shipyards for a ...

  20. Jeff Bezos' Megayacht Koru Is Getting Ready for Summer Cruising

    Now We Know What It Is 2 Jeff Bezos Has 'Disappeared' His Megayacht Koru and Supporting Yacht Abeona 3 $200 Million Black Pearl: The Revolutionary Sailing Yacht Caught in a $3.7 Billion War 4 Jeff ...

  21. Moscow to get 7 new state-of-the-art bridges (PHOTOS)

    2. A new automobile bridge is to appear in Filevsky park district and will connect Myasishcheva Street and Mnevniki metro station. stroi.mos.ru. 3. A 250-meter "Sail" bridge across the Moskva ...

  22. Mark Zuckerberg's $300million 'birthday present' mega yacht arrives in

    The mega vessel is not far off the size of Amazon mogul Jeff Bezos' $500 million 417-foot tall mega yacht, Koru, ... 1 London Bridge Street, London, SE1 9GF. "The Sun", "Sun", "Sun Online" are ...

  23. The Boating World Is Speculating Mark Zuckerberg Bought a Superyacht

    The yacht world is speculating that her owner is Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg. ... Launchpad clocks in at 118 meters long, about nine meters shorter than Jeff Bezos' superyacht Koru.

  24. Zhivopisny Bridge

    The specifications of the Zhivopisny Bridge are pretty impressive. The bridge's S-shaped deck exceeds 1.5 km in length. It has eight traffic and pedestrian lanes. The bridge's main pylon is a red-steel arch over 100 meters high. Zhivopisny Bridge was designed by Nikolai Shumakov, who has also designed 30 Metro stations, a monorail line, and the ...

  25. All You Need to Know about Moscow River and Moscow Bridges

    The bridge was built to mark the 850th anniversary of Moscow in 1997. Krymsky Bridge was in Top 5 Europe's longest bridges back in the early 20th century. The bridge was named after the ancient Krymsky ford which Crimean Tartars used to attack the Russian capital in the 16 th century. And now let's slightly move to the embankments of Moscow ...

  26. Most Beautiful Bridges in Moscow

    The longest and the highest bridge (1460 m.) is Zhivopisny Bridge. Krymsky Bridge (688 m.) was considered to be the longest bridge in Europe in 1938. Abramtsevsky train bridge is the shortest one, just 10 m! Bolshoy Moskvoretsky Bridge is located in the place of the previous oldest temporary bridges in Mocow. Its modern version was built in 1938.