Dutch mayor denies plan to dismantle historic bridge for Jeff Bezos’ superyacht, says the billionaire may have to foot the bill if so

• Bezos’ new, 417-foot megayacht is being built near Rotterdam in the Netherlands. 
• Dutch media reported hat a 100-year-old bridge would be dismantled so Bezos’ yacht can leave port.
• But the mayor of Rotterdam said an application was yet to be made, and Bezos may have to pay to dismantle the bridge.

The mayor of Rotterdam denied reports that the Dutch city was dismantling a historic bridge to make way for Jeff Bezos’ new superyacht to pass.

Dutch media reported Wednesday that a section of the nearly 100-year-old Koningshaven Bridge would be removed to allow Bezos’ new 417-foot yacht to reach the ocean.

The existence of the megayacht Y721, which is being constructed in the nearby city of Alblasserda, was first reported by the journalist Brad Stone last May. Stone reported that the yacht was costing the Amazon founder $500 million to build.

However, Ahmed Aboutaleb, the major of Rotterdam, said Thursday that no decision had been made to dismantle the bridge and, if it happens, that Bezos or his shipbuilder Oceanco may need to foot the bill. 

“No decision has yet been taken, not even an application for a permit,” Aboutaleb said Thursday, the Algemeen Dagblad reported.

Aboutaleb said it doesn’t matter that the world’s second richest man is involved. “That has absolutely nothing to do with this decision. It’s about the facts. I want to know them first,” he said, according to the paper.

The first images of what is thought to be Bezos’ megayacht surfaced in October, showing it had three masts that wouldn’t fit under the 131-foot clearance afforded by the bridge. 

Frances van Heijst, a spokesperson for the municipality of Rotterdam, previously told Insider that the city is able to grant permission to the maritime sector to take a ship to sea.

But van Heijst told The Washington Post that Oceanco would have to pay for the cost of dissembling the bridge if permission is granted.

Oceanco and Amazon did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Insider. 

According to Stone, Bezos has also commissioned a smaller “support yacht” from Oceanco. Both boats are due for completion in 2022, Boat International reported.

A Facebook group calling on Rotterdam residents to hurl rotten eggs at Bezos boat as it passes through the city has garnered hundreds of positive responses, BN DeStem reported.