Jeff Bezos’ $500M Megayacht Will Be Pelted With Rotten Eggs If He Dismantles Bridge for It

Right now, construction is underway for Jeff Bezos’ latest billionaire toy, a sail-assisted megayacht that comes with a reported price tag of $500 million, not including the cost of a matching shadow vessel that is, by all intents and purposes, another megayacht. As one of the world’s most successful businessmen, Bezos is, of course, free to do with his money what he wants, so that’s not the problem.

The problem is that the ship in question, for the time being referred to as Y721 or Project 721, is under construction at Oceanco, at Alblasserdam, near Rotterdam. Before delivery to its new owner, Y721 will have to undergo sea trials and, for that to happen, it will have to reach the sea (duh!) by passing through Rotterdam. Along the way, it would have to clear the Koningshaven Bridge, affectionately known to locals as De Hef.

De Hef is not just any bridge, either: it’s a historic monument and a local landmark that stands for rebirth. Built in 1878, it was damaged during WWII by the Nazi in 1940, and it was one of the first structures in Rotterdam to be rebuilt once the war was over. At one point, there was talk of taking it down altogether, since it was no longer in use, but locals opposed the idea.

The gist is that Bezos’ new megayacht is a sail-assisted vessel, so its three masts are taller than the clearance of the bridge, or so claimed a report from earlier this week. The 127-meter (417-foot) long vessel is, simply put, too big to fit under the bridge, which has a clearance of just 40 meters (131 feet), so the plan is to have the municipality dismantle it so the ship can pass, and then put it back together again.

Technically, Bezos isn’t taking down a historic monument for good, and he and Oceanco would be on the hook to cover all the expenses incurred. While the Mayor of Rotterdam has recently said that no such request has yet been filed formally, let alone a permit been issued, locals are not willing to let this happen, if they can somehow stop it.

Pablo Strörmann lives in Rotterdam and he, like some other 30,000 residents, as counted on Facebook, believes that Bezos shouldn’t be allowed to take down De Hef, even if only temporarily, just so he can let his big boat pass through. The issue, Strörmann tells the NL Times, is that he should have thought of the clearance before starting to build his boat, just like any other boat owner who’s ever been in the area.

So, Strörmann is hosting a party by De Hef, and it’s one that will see the gorgeous Y721 pelted with rotten eggs, if Bezos and Oceanco get clearance to bring down the bridge. To the same publication, Strörmann says that, while his Facebook event calling Rotterdammers to arms rotten eggs started out as a satire, the fact that so many expressed interest in it tells him the entire situation is simply not right.

“Normally it’s the other way around: If your ship doesn’t fit under a bridge, you make it smaller,” he says. “But when you happen to be the richest person on Earth you just ask a municipality to dismantle a monument. That’s ridiculous.”

Strörmann saved the biggest burn for Bezos for Facebook, where it seems to have resonated with many. It’s not just the fact that a billionaire wants to dismantle a monument for his personal interest that’s upsetting, but the fact that said monument just so happens to be a symbol of the city.

“Rotterdam was built from the rubble by the people of Rotterdam, and we don't just take that apart for the phallic symbol of a megalomaniac billionaire. Not without a fight!” Strörmann wrote in the event’s description.

Ouch.