Update: When Jeff Bezos' mega-yacht makes its maiden voyage sometime this summer, the Amazon founder might want to wear protective gear. Not for the elements—for eggs. Jalopnik reports that a growing Facebook movement in the Dutch city of Rotterdam is enlisting people to chuck rotten eggs at the ship. So far, more than 3,000 have committed to do so, and thousands more are at least interested. Locals aren't happy that a historic bridge will have to be temporarily dismantled to make way for the boat, which is still under construction at a Rotterdam shipyard. Our original story from Feb. 2 follows:
After a renovation project was completed in 2017, authorities in Rotterdam promised that the historic Koningshaven Bridge would never be dismantled again. But that was before Jeff Bezos' superyacht needed to get from a shipyard in the Dutch city to the sea. The city has agreed to remove the steel bridge's central section so the Amazon owner's enormous $485 million yacht can pass through. "It's the only route to the sea," a spokesperson for Rotterdam's mayor of Rotterdam tells AFP. The spokesperson said the request was made by the Oceanco shipyard and Bezos will be paying for the operation.
The former rail bridge, nicknamed "De Hef," dates from 1878. It was bombed by the Nazis in 1940 and rebuilt after the war. The middle section is too low for the triple-masted Bezos megayacht currently under construction to pass through. The yacht is believed to be around 130 feet tall and 420 feet long, per the BBC. Authorities say the section can be taken apart and rebuilt within a few weeks when the yacht is ready to go through this summer. They stress that building the vessel, believed to be the biggest of its kind, has created numerous jobs in the city. Critics, however, described the move as a "bridge too far" and suggested the mayor tell Bezos, one of the world's richest men, to "buzz off," the Telegraph reports. (More Jeff Bezos stories.)
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