The Dutch city has received a request from a local shipbuilder to remove the central section of the historic Koningshaven Bridge so that a superyacht can sail to the sea, it said in a statement to CNN Business on Friday.
Rotterdam officials said the shipbuilder still needs to apply for a permit. The city said it would consider the preservation of the bridge’s structure along with the impact on the environment and local economy, including jobs in the shipbuilding industry, before approving the permit.
The shipbuilder would need to pay for the bridge to be dismantled, the city added. An extensive renovation of Koningshaven Bridge, known to locals as “De Hef,” was completed in 2017 and municipal officials promised it would never again be dismantled, according to Dutch public broadcaster Rijnmond.
Other bridges on the route between the shipyard and the sea would not have to be altered, city officials said.
The superyacht was commissioned by Bezos, according to Dutch media and journalist Brad Stone, who reported in his book “Amazon Unbound” last year that the billionaire’s future plans include a 127-meter schooner being constructed by Oceanco.
“I think it’s one of the few more examples … that the more money you have, the more power you get,” resident Matthias Van Der Wilt, 20, told Reuters. If the city approves the permit after “Bezos offers some nice money,” it would show that officials “don’t have character,” he added.
— AnneClaire Stapleton and Wayne Chang contributed reporting.
