One of the world’s richest people may not get his superyacht anytime soon. A massive 417-foot superyacht built for Amazon.com Inc (NASDAQ:AMZN) founder Jeff Bezos is stuck with a bridge in the way.
What Happened: The $500 million superyacht from Bezos has caused problems since it was first built with a local landmark bridge Koningshaven, known as “De Hef” standing in the way of getting the boat out of the city of Rotterdam on its way to the North Sea.
The bridge is over 150 years old and has a 130-foot clearance. The bridge was refurbished in 2017 and has gained landmark status and serves as a national monument after being bombed during World War II.
Oceanco, the company commissioned to build the superyacht, has scrapped plans to have the landmark bridge temporarily taken apart, as reported by the New York Post.
Benzinga reported earlier this year that the bridge would be taken apart in a move to get the boat out.
Backlash from local residents was cited as a reason for Oceanco’s abandoning the plans to take apart the bridge. Protests were planned, along with plans to pelt the superyacht with rotten eggs if it caused the local bridge to be taken apart.
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Why It’s Important: Oceanco has not said what it plans to do or how it might get the superyacht delivered to Bezos.
The superyacht is among the largest ever made in the Netherlands and among the biggest in the world.
Not having foresight that there would be public resistance to disassembling the historic bridge in the path of the constructed boat should be an important lesson for people on anticipating problems before they occur.
With a wealth of $133 billion, Bezos could likely afford to have another superyacht constructed elsewhere.
Photo: Created with an image from Steve Jurvetson on Flickr