The Koningshaven Bridge in Rotterdam, better known as De Hef, opened in 1927, has had a turbulent life. It withstood the bombing of Rotterdam in 1940 and was restored early in the reconstruction period of the city. Between 2014 and 2017, the bridge underwent a renovation. The chapter ‘mega yacht Jeff Bezos’ will be added to that history next summer.
Jeff Bezos, founder of e-commerce company Amazon, according to business magazine Forbes an estimated wealth of USD 202 billion (EUR 178 billion). Oceanco, a ship and yacht builder owned by an Omani billionaire, is currently building a three-masted ship for Bezos in Alblasserdam, South Holland. De Hef is located on the yacht’s passageway and has a vertical clearance of 46.5 metres: too low for Bezos’ mega yacht.
The municipality of Rotterdam confirms NRCafter reports from regional broadcaster Rijnmond that they have given permission for the temporary removal of the middle section of the bridge, so that the mega yacht can sail towards its new owner.
The middle section of the bridge may be removed for a maximum of one day next summer. That takes a week of preparation, project leader Marcel Walravens told Rijnmond. It is not yet clear which company will take on this project. A spokesperson said the plan is still underway.
Not the appointment
But that was not the deal, according to the first reactions in local and social media. De Hef is a national monument, which should not be touched just like that. When the former rail lift bridge reopened in 2017, Rotterdam also promised that it would no longer be dismantled. So the council will come back to that. In response, the municipality states that “the bridge will remain as it is.” The municipality calls this a pragmatic decision – a detour is not possible because „this […] the only route to the sea”.
The beloved Koningshaven Bridge was a swing bridge until 1918, but after a number of accidents turned out to be too problematic for ships to pass through. In 1927 it was opened as a lift bridge. During the German bombing of Rotterdam on 14 May 1940, the railway bridge was badly damaged, but it was quickly repaired during the reconstruction period to get train traffic going as soon as possible.
Oceanco recently asked the municipality to temporarily dismantle the bridge for the passage of the yacht. “We have weighed up the interests well,” says the municipal spokesperson. All costs are ‘borne by the shipbuilder’, who then recovers them from Bezos. “Not a cent of Rotterdam tax money goes to this project,” the spokesperson declares.
A version of this article also appeared in NRC on the morning of February 3, 2022