The mayor of Rotterdam in the Netherlands has denied reports that the city plans to dismantle a 145-year-old bridge so Jeff Bezo’s superyacht can depart its shipyard.
Dutch media reported Wednesday that the local council had agreed to remove the central section of the Koningshaven Bridge so that the former Amazon CEO’s yacht, Y721, could depart from the Oceanco shipyard in nearby Alblasserdam.
But Mayor Ahmed Aboutaleb of Rotterdam said Thursday that the council had not reached any decision on the matter – not even “an application for a permit,” according to Algemeen Dagblad.
Aboutaleb insisted that he must first “know” the facts of the issue even though the AFP reported that his spokesman had stressed the project would need to move ahead as the Nieuwe Maas is “the only route to the sea” from Oceanco.
And the mayor stressed that if the project did proceed, Bezos would need to foot the bill on it.
