EThe dispute over the possible dismantling of a historic bridge in Rotterdam for a super yacht by Amazon founder Jeff Bezos is entering the next round: According to media reports, the city of Rotterdam has not yet received an application for approval. “I find the excitement quite peculiar. No decision has been made, not even an application for a permit has been received,” said the mayor of Rotterdam, Ahmed Aboutaleb, according to the Algemeen Dagblad newspaper on Thursday evening.
A spokeswoman had previously said on Wednesday that the city administration had responded positively to a request from the shipbuilder. He had therefore asked whether the Koningshaven Bridge could be dismantled so that the almost 40 meter high super yacht could go out to sea after it was built. The US billionaire Bezos has pledged to bear the costs of dismantling and rebuilding the bridge, a spokesman for the mayor of Rotterdam told the AFP news agency on Wednesday. The announcement had caused severe criticism.
What is more important, money or monument protection
The soothing comments made by the mayor, who is currently in Colombia to hold talks on the fight against drugs, on Thursday were confirmed by his spokesman, according to the Dutch news agency ANP. The city government will make its decision if an application for a permit is actually made, Aboutaleb said, according to the reports.
The city administration will then evaluate the “economic interest, especially the maritime image of our region” and the impact on the bridge: “Is it possible without causing damage? And then you want to know whether the costs will actually be reimbursed by the buyer, ”said the mayor, according to the reports.
Whether the buyer of the yacht is one of the richest people in the world “has absolutely nothing to do” with whether a decision is made, the port city’s mayor added. “It’s about the facts. I want to know her first,” he said.
430 million euros more expensive three-master
Bezos had commissioned a shipyard in Alblasserdam, Netherlands, to build the 430 million euro three-master. However, the gigantic sailing yacht does not fit under the Rotterdam Koningshaven Bridge.
The bridge was built in 1878 and rebuilt in 1940 after German bombing during World War II. After a major renovation in 2017, the city government promised never to dismantle the structure, known to Rotterdammers as De Hef. That’s why the news from the previous day caused criticism among many Dutch people.