It isn't setting up homeless shelters, or feeding the poor, or funding addiction treatment centers, or shelters for abused women. 2/2/22 New York Post:
Pier pressure? Dutch city to dismantle historic bridge to accommodate Jeff Bezos’ new yacht
A Dutch city has agreed to spend weeks taking down a historic bridge so Jeff Bezos’ new gigantic superyacht can reach the open seas this summer.
The Amazon founder’s 417-foot-long, three-masted ship that cost’s roughly $500 million is under construction in the Netherlands, but the pleasure boat will be too tall to pass under Rotterdam’s landmark Koningshaven Bridge, which has a 130-foot clearance, according to the NL Times, which cited Dutch-language outlet Rijnmond.
As a work-around, the megabillionaire and the boatmaker Oceano reportedly asked Rotterdam officials to temporarily dismantle the iconic bridge, and pledged to reimburse the city for expenses.
Great planning there, building a ship with no easy access to the ocean.
Utterly conventional at this point, the many Dutch shipyards that have the best naval architects and experience at building such yachts are some distance from the sea, and it is a several-times-a-year spectacle now to see such boats being carefully shepherded through the canals that can only carry them with special attention to every dimension.
ReplyDeleteHere's another recent example with some great photography that emphasizes the incongrousness of the yacht's size in comparison to the ancient city and canal:
https://www.cnn.com/travel/article/superyacht-pulled-through-netherlands-canals/index.html
The traditional solution would be to motor or tow the yacht under the bridge BEFORE stepping the masts.
ReplyDeleteThe builder doesn't want someone else to get paid for the rest of the project, and is trying to get them to take the bridge apart.
At some point, what is the point of so much money?
I lived for a while on the New River in Fort Lauderdale when one of the yacht manufacturers had a shipyard upstream from me. The shake down cruise would require planning with the city and coast guard, and usually 3 tugs to get the ship out and back for the trials.
ReplyDeleteThey never dismantled a bridge, as far as I know. That yard closed because the real estate became too valuable.
If they're smart, they'll charge Bezos a LOT MORE for him to be able to sail back out to sea.
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