Amazon founder Jeff Bezos’ mega-yacht quietly left the Dutch shipyard where it was built early Tuesday morning local time, not tearing down a bridge as planned, and avoiding its planned route and public view .
The 127-meter-long yacht cost $500 million to build at a shipyard in Alblasserdam, the Netherlands, by shipbuilding company Oceanco. The vessel was towed to the Greenport dock in Rotterdam early Tuesday morning, according to video captured by a witness.
The controversy surrounding Bezos’ yacht began in February, when Oceanco asked the city of Rotterdam to remove the Corning Harbour Bridge to allow the yacht to pass through Rotterdam. The bridge, commonly known as De Hef, is regarded as a landmark by locals and has a history of nearly a hundred years. Bezos’ yacht has three massive masts, reaching a height of 40 meters, which will exceed the height of the bridge.
The revelation of the bridge demolition plan has sparked outrage among local residents, who plan to host an event to throw eggs at Bezos’ yacht if it needs to be demolished to get through. The mayor of Rotterdam reassured people at the time that the decision to demolish the bridge had not yet been made, and if it did happen, Bezos or Oceanco might have to pay for it.
However, Oceanco withdrew its request to demolish the bridge earlier this month after a public outcry.
Hanco Bol, a yachtsman from the Dutch yachting club “Dutch Yachting”, saw Tuesday’s video, recorded it and posted it on YouTube. Bezos’ yacht began preparations to leave the shipyard at about 1 a.m. and set off at 3 a.m., he said.
Ball speculates that Oceanco was trying to keep the launch and transport of the yacht a secret because it traveled a longer route than necessary to avoid crossing the city center and the Corning Harbor Bridge.
“We’ve never seen shipping this fast,” he said, adding that Bezos’ yacht took three hours and 24 miles to reach the Green Harbor dock.
On this voyage, Bezos’ yacht was towed and did not have masts, which will be installed later.
This article comes from the financial world