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

  • Amazon founder’s 417-foot ship too tall to pass underneath
  • ‘That is really going a bridge too far,’ Dutch politician says
The Koningshavenbrug “De Hef” lift bridge in Rotterdam, Netherlands.
The Koningshavenbrug “De Hef” lift bridge in Rotterdam, Netherlands.Photographer: Geography Photos/Universal Images Group/Getty Images

Jeff 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.