Tag Archives: Rotterdam

Jeff Bezos: Rotterdam may dismantle bridge for superyacht reportedly owned by billionaire

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.

Rijnmond identified the shipyard as Oceanco, which builds custom yachts. Oceanco is constructing a 127-meter long ship known as Y721 in Rotterdam, according to Boat International. The ship, which has three masts, will be the world’s tallest sailing yacht when completed delivered later this year, the specialist publication reported.

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.

Oceanco said it was unable to comment on its projects or clients “because of privacy and strict confidentiality reasons.” Blue Origin, the spaceflight services company founded by Bezos, did not respond to a request for comment.
Bezos is the world’s third richest person, with a net worth of $164 billion, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index. News that a historic bridge may have to be temporarily dismantled later this year on his behalf angered some Rotterdam residents.

“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.

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Rotterdam to Dismantle Part of Bridge for Jeff Bezos’ Superyacht

Part of a historic bridge in the Netherlands will be dismantled so that a superyacht built for Amazon’s founder, Jeff Bezos, can pass through the river that flows through Rotterdam, the city said on Thursday.

The middle part of the 95-year-old Koningshaven Bridge would be removed this summer so that the sailing yacht could pass, a spokeswoman for the city of Rotterdam said. The bridge, known locally as “De Hef,” will then be restored, potentially on the same day.

Mr. Bezos’s yacht should be able to fit under all the other bridges in Rotterdam, the spokeswoman said. She did not have an estimate of how much the deconstruction would cost but said that the shipbuilder, not residents of Rotterdam, would pay. There will not be any structural changes to the bridge.

A representatives for Amazon did not respond to requests for comment about the cost or the yacht’s destination. A spokeswoman for Oceanco, the Dutch custom yacht company that is building the boat, said in an email on Thursday that she could not comment on projects under construction or clients because of confidentiality reasons.

Boat International, which publishes articles about the superyacht industry, reported that the 417-foot sailboat is set to become the largest sailing yacht in the world when it is finished later this year, surpassing the Sea Cloud, a 360-foot sailboat built in 1931 and owned by the Yacht Portfolio, an investment company based in Malta.

The superyacht Mr. Bezos commissioned is likely to cost more than $500 million to build, Bloomberg reported. Mr. Bezos is the world’s second-richest person, after Tesla’s chief executive, Elon Musk.

The bridge, which has a boat clearance of 130 feet, is not currently in use. A Rotterdam tour guide, Eddy le Couvreur, said that the bridge, designed by the Dutch architect Pieter Joosting and a fixture in the Rotterdam skyline, was once used for railway traffic. A vertical lift bridge, it was the first of its kind in the Netherlands and was copied from examples in the United States. The modern industrial aesthetics of the bridge inspired a short film in 1928, he said.

Until now, tall ships passed under the bridge before assembling their masts and taller structures, he said.

Dennis Tak, a Labor Party city councilor for Rotterdam, said he was fine with the bridge being dismantled — since Mr. Bezos was paying for it — because of the jobs it would create with the work that needed to be done on the bridge. “As a city, this is a great way to take some of his money,” Mr. Tak said.

The structure is more than a bridge to the people of Rotterdam, said Siebe Thissen, the author of the book “The Boy Who Jumped From the Bridge,” about a working-class man who jumped from the bridge in 1933. “It’s a monument,” he said. “It’s the identity of Rotterdam.”

When city officials tried to take the bridge down in the 1990s, since it was not longer in use, there were major protests, he said. The bridge is a reminder of the old days in Rotterdam, he said.

“I think that’s why there his so much turmoil about Jeff Bezos and his boat,” he said, before referring to accusations against Amazon. “People say, ‘Why this guy?’ It’s a working-class town, and they all know that Jeff Bezos, of course, he exploits his workers, so people say, ‘Why should this guy be able demolish the bridge for his boat?’”

As of Thursday, about 500 Facebook users said they would attend an event, titled “Throwing eggs at superyacht Jeff Bezos,” where they gather by the bridge to throw eggs at the boat. A person listed as the event organizer did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Mr. le Couvreur, who works for the company Tours by Locals, which connects tourists with local guides, said Rotterdammers would likely enjoy the international attention and would watch the spectacle, he said. “On the other hand, it shows the unimaginable wealth that people like Bezos have created for themselves, that nothing can stand in the way for them living out their dreams and hobbies. Worlds apart from those who will be watching the ship pass through the city.”

Claire Moses contributed reporting.

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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 is currently 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 mega-billionaire and the boatmaker Oceano reportedly asked Rotterdam officials to temporarily dismantle the iconic bridge, and pledged to reimburse the city for expenses.

Taking apart and reassembling the middle section of the bridge known locally as “De Hef” was expected to take more than two weeks, the paper said. Rotterdam officials touted Bezos’ pet project as a revenue generator.

“From an economic perspective and maintaining employment, the municipality considers this a very important project,” municipal project leader Marcel Walravens reportedly said. “In addition, Rotterdam has also been declared the maritime capital of Europe. Shipbuilding and activity within that sector are therefore an important pillar of the municipality.”

The landmark bridge was restored after Rotterdam was bombed in World War II, and the bridge became a national monument.
Getty Images/iStockphoto

Word of the planned deconstruction of the 1878 steel structure took a toll on preservation officials, who said the city pledged not to take apart De Hef again following a 2017 restoration.

“Employment is important, but there are limits to what you can and may do to our heritage,” Ton Wesselink of the Rotterdam Historical Society reportedly said.

Another local leader said bowing to Bezos was a “bridge too far,” as he issued a stern rebuke to some of Amazon’s reported business practices.

“This man has earned his money by structurally cutting staff, evading taxes, avoiding regulations and now we have to tear down our beautiful national monument?” Rotterdam politician Stephan Leewis wrote on Twitter.

Bezos’ new yacht is 417 feet long.
Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP

The bridge was one of the first Rotterdam landmarks to be restored after the city was bombed in World War II. It became obsolete after a tunnel was built for train traffic in 1993, but residents balked at demolishing the span, and it was converted into a national monument, the paper reported.

Bezos’ Y721 superyacht will be one of the biggest sailing vessels ever made in The Netherlands, which is a hub for boat construction for the very wealthy, according to Bloomberg.

The yacht’s towering height has presented other problems for the world’s second richest man. The boat’s tall masts would present a hazard to helicopters, so the former Amazon CEO commissioned a support yacht with a helipad to follow in its wake, the outlet said.



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Photos of anti-Covid protests in Europe

A demonstrator lights a smoke bomb during a rally held by Austria’s far-right Freedom Party FPOe against the measures taken to curb the Covid pandemic, at Maria Theresien Platz square in Vienna, Austria on November 20, 2021.

JOE KLAMAR | AFP | Getty Images

Protests against fresh Covid-19 restrictions have rocked Europe over the weekend, with demonstrations breaking out in places such as Brussels, Vienna, Rome and Amsterdam.

There were protests in Vienna on Sunday after Austria entered its fourth national lockdown due to the current pandemic wave, with people now being asked to work from home and non-essential shops closing.

More than 50,000 people staged a protest against the measures taken to stem the Covid-19 pandemic in Vienna, Austria, 20 November 2021.

Anadolu Agency | Anadolu Agency | Getty Images

Protesters gather in front of the Gare du Nord in Brussels on Nov.21. Police estimate 35,000 people gathered to protest against the Covid pass, which they consider to be divisive.

Thierry Monasse | Getty Images News | Getty Images

In Belgium, protesters clashed with police after tens of thousands of people gathered in a march through Brussels’ city center on Sunday. The “Protest for Freedom” march, primarily aimed at protesting against stricter Covid restrictions, was attended by around 35,000 people, the police estimated.

Meanwhile, demonstrations continued for a third day in the Netherlands, following violent scenes and dozens of arrests in Rotterdam, with thousands more gathering in Amsterdam over the weekend.

After Rotterdam’s riots, there was further trouble in various neighborhoods in The Hague on Saturday night, as well as reports of disorder in several other smaller Dutch towns.

People march during a protest against the latest measures to fight the Covid-19 pandemic, despite the cancellation of the event after violence marred protests in Rotterdam, on November 20, 2021 in Amsterdam.

EVERT ELZINGA | AFP | Getty Images

Over 50 people were arrested in Rotterdam on Friday after fierce demonstrations that were described as an “orgy of violence” by the city’s mayor.

Dutch police used water cannons and fired warning shots, injuring at least two people, after rioters against the country’s partial Covid lockdown — imposed amid surging cases — torched a police car, set off fireworks and hurled rocks at police officers.

This photograph taken on November 20, 2021 shows burned bikes after a protest against the partial lockdown and against the 2G government policy in Rotterdam.

JEFFREY GROENEWEG | AFP | Getty Images

Many Dutch people oppose the lockdown measures that have seen shops, bars and restaurants forced to close at 8 p.m.

Covid passes, which restrict access to venues like museums and bars to the vaccinated or recently recovered from Covid, are now compulsory in more venues. Protesters are opposed to government plans to make Covid passes mandatory in more sectors of public life. For now, tighter Covid measures are due to last until at least Dec. 4.

A sign protesting against Italy’s ‘Green Pass’ on November 20, 2021 in Rome.

Stefano Montesi – Corbis | Corbis News | Getty Images

Covid passes are also fueling protests in Rome, where large crowds gathered this weekend, objecting to the enforcement of Italy’s version of the Covid passport, the “Green Pass,” which became mandatory for all Italian workers on Oct. 15.

Workers must either show proof of vaccination, a negative test or recent recovery from infection or they could be suspended from work without pay or face a fine.

People protest during a demonstration organized by ‘No Green Pass’ and ‘No Vax’ movements against the Green Pass Covid-19 health certificate, at the Circo Massimo in Rome on November 20, 2021.

Stefano Montesi – Corbis | Corbis News | Getty Images

Thousands of people also marched in Croatia’s capital Zagreb on Saturday, demonstrating against mandatory vaccinations for public sector workers and Covid passes.

Thousands of people stage a protest against Covid-19 measures in Zagreb, Croatia on 20 November 2021.

Anadolu Agency | Anadolu Agency | Getty Images

In Germany, politicians are beginning to debate the need for mandatory vaccinations, a move which could prompt protests if implemented.

The country’s seven-day coronavirus incidence rate has hit record highs in the past two weeks, while only around 69% of the population is fully vaccinated.

Read more: Germany announces new Covid restrictions for the unvaccinated as infection rate hits record

The government imposed nationwide restrictions against the unvaccinated last week, but lawmakers from across the political spectrum have said stricter rules may be needed.

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