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- Jeff Bezos’ superyacht was moved from a Dutch shipyard before dawn on Tuesday, likely to avoid upsetting locals and a potential egg.
- After the public outcry from locals, the removal of a historic bridge was not actually required.
- Watch Bezos’ yacht make its journey.
Jeff Bezos’ megayacht has quietly left the Dutch shipyard where it was built, without dismantling a bridge or crowds of onlookers.
The 417-foot vessel, known as Y721 and estimated to cost $500 million, is under construction by shipbuilder OceanCo at a shipyard in Alblasserdam, the Netherlands. It was towed to the Greenport shipyard in Rotterdam in the early hours of Tuesday, according to the German news magazine. Der Spiegel.
The controversy surrounding Bezos’ yacht began in February, when Oceanco asked the city of Rotterdam to dismantle the Koningshaven Bridge to allow the ship to pass through the city. Known colloquially as De Hef, the beloved bridge is considered a landmark by locals and is nearly 100 years old. Once completed, the yacht would have three masts that would be too tall to clear the bridge, which is nearly 131 feet.
The people of the Netherlands were outraged and planned an event to throw eggs at Bezos’ yacht if the bridge needed to be dismantled for its passage. Within days, the mayor of Rotterdam, Ahmed Aboutaleb, clarified that no decision has yet been made on removing the bridge and said that Bezos or Oceanco may have to foot the bill if it does happen.
Earlier this month, Oceanco withdrew its request to break up after public outcry.
Hanco Bol, a local yachting enthusiast from the yacht fan club Dutch Yachting, saw and recorded Tuesday’s relocation in a YouTube video, according to Der Spiegel. He said preparations for the move began around 1am and the yacht departed at 3am.
Bol speculates that Oceanco “tried to keep the launch and transport under wraps” because the vessel took a route that was longer than necessary, but avoided going through the city center and crossing the Koningshaven bridge.
“We’ve never seen a transport go so fast,” he captioned his YouTube video, adding that Bezos’ yacht arrived at the Greenport shipyard three hours and 24 miles later.
On its trip Tuesday morning, Bezos’ yacht was towed without its masts, which will be installed later, Der Spiegel reports.
Watch the video of Bezos’ yacht quietly moving shipyards here:
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