Boat vs Bridge: Bezos to dismantle historic bridge for his 130 foot yacht to pass

In order to make room for Amazon founder Jeff Bezos' 417-foot-long new superyacht, the Dutch will dismantle a historic bridge temporarily. The $485 million yacht is currently being built and is too tall to pass through the bridge, which has a clearance of just over 13 feet while the boat will require 10 times that at 130 feet.

Bezos’s gigantic 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 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.

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The 58-year-old billionaire and the company building the yacht will reportedly cover the cost, according to a Dutch broadcaster.

De Hef as the bridge is called among locals 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.