The historic Koningshaven bridge in the Dutch city of Rotterdam is set to be dismantled in order to allow Amazon founder Jeff Bezos' massive 417-foot yacht to pass under it.
A portion of the bridge known as "De Hef," will need to be totally removed after it was discovered that even if it was fully raised to 130 feet, Bezos' yacht would still not be able to pass under it, the Daily Mail reported.
According to the Guardian, the iconic Koningshaven bridge dates back to 1878 and had to be rebuilt after the Nazis bombed it in 1940 amid World War II.
A spokesperson for Rotterdam's Mayor Ahmed Aboutaleb stressed the need to dismantle the bridge so the yacht can exit the city, telling the AFP, “It’s the only route to the sea.”
According to Boat International, the 127-meter Oceanco sailing yacht, known as Y721, was commissioned to be the world's largest sailing yacht by the time it is delivered later in 2022. The current largest sea craft of its kind is the Sea Cloud, which comes in at around 109 meters, according to the trade publication.
As the Guardian reports, some in the Netherlands are against the idea, after reports say a local council there promised never to dismantle the bridge again after a 2017 renovation.
Taking the bridge apart is expected to be a weeks-long process, and Bezos, one of the world's richest men, is expected to foot the entire bill.
Bezos' yacht is being held at the Oceanco shipyard in the Dutch city of Alblasserdam.
The manager of the Koningshaven bridge renovation project, Marcel Walravens, told local Dutch outlet Rijnmond that partially finishing Bezos' yacht in another location away from Rotterdam wasn't practical.
Walravens said, "If you carry out a big job somewhere, you want all your tools in that place. Otherwise, you have to go back and forth constantly. In addition, this is such a large project that there are hardly any locations where this work is finished."
