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Historic Dutch Bridge To Be Dismantled So Jeff Bezos' Superyacht Can Pass Through (iflscience.com) 258

schwit1 shares a report from IFLScience: A historic bridge in Rotterdam, Netherlands, is to be dismantled so that Jeff Bezos' superyacht can pass through. The Koningshaven Bridge, nicknamed "De Hef" by locals, has been a landmark in Rotterdam since 1878. Originally a swing bridge, it was converted into a lifting bridge after several ships got stuck in the narrow passage, and a collision involving the German ship Kandelfels in 1918. Having been damaged in the bombing of Rotterdam, it was one of the first monuments to be restored in the city shortly afterward. Now, it is to be dismantled to let the Amazon founder's 127-meter (417-foot) long luxury sailing yacht -- the Y721 -- to reach the ocean. The yacht will be the largest vessel of its kind in the world, and will be unable to make it under De Hef when it is completed by the ship-making firm Oceanco. Despite promises that the bridge would not be dismantled again following renovations in 2014-2017, the middle section of the bridge will be temporarily removed to let the billionaire's boat out. A spokesperson for the mayor's office said "It's the only route to the sea." They noted that the yacht created jobs during its construction and that the bridge would be restored (once again) after Bezos' vessel passes.
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Historic Dutch Bridge To Be Dismantled So Jeff Bezos' Superyacht Can Pass Through

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  • Who cares? (Score:5, Insightful)

    by Asynchronously ( 7341348 ) on Friday February 04, 2022 @02:03AM (#62236153)

    As long as he’s paying for it.

    • Impeccable irony. Well done Sir.

    • Re:Who cares? (Score:5, Informative)

      by zeeky boogy doog ( 8381659 ) on Friday February 04, 2022 @02:21AM (#62236171)
      He is.

      They're not really "dismantling" it either in the menacing, destructive sense the word is being used to imply either. They're gonna strap some heavy cranes to the middle part, unbolt it, sail the yacht through, then lower it and bolt it back on.

      Everyone - the city, the shipyard, and Bezos - knew this would have to be done if Oceanco built his yacht. Everyone agreed, in advance, that Bezos would pay for the bridge to temporarily be a drawbridge.
      • Did he already pay? What are they going to do if he doesn't?

      • by storkus ( 179708 )

        Everyone agreed, in advance, that Bezos would pay for the bridge to temporarily be a drawbridge.

        Perhaps because I live in a desert where these giant bridges are quite alien, but since I'm sure this won't be the last giant ship to have to pass under this bridge, why didn't they make it a PERMANENT draw bridge?

        • Because sentimental fools are attached to tradition and conservationism, and wish for things to remain the same for no other reason than to keep them the same.

          The thing with “conservativism”, is that it is often called “hæritage” when it would pertain a foreign culture rather than one's own. However to me it is not a foreign culture since I live close to Rotterdam, so it's simply “conservativism”.

          What I find interesting is that “progressives” of one cultu

        • Because its extremely high. No normal ship that can access the water beyond, needs it to be a drawbridge. The exception is of course a tall sailing ship with very high masts. Yeah, why didn't nobody think of that one, huh? :)

          Nobody cares. The bridge can be unbolted in a week, removed for a day, then it's another week of putting it back. It doesn't damage anything, it's just a cost.

          • Nobody cares. The bridge can be unbolted in a week, removed for a day, then it's another week of putting it back. It doesn't damage anything, it's just a cost.

            Landlubber here, but I wonder why the builders can't just bolt on the 3 masts AFTER passing the dinghy under the bridge. Used to be that masts were replaceable because they sometimes needed to be. But, I don't know the first thing about boats, except that its supposed to be drier inside them than outside.

        • A mobile structure like that is often far, far more expensive than a permanent installation.

      • Re:Who cares? (Score:5, Insightful)

        by ArsenneLupin ( 766289 ) on Friday February 04, 2022 @04:17AM (#62236323)

        pay for the bridge to temporarily be a drawbridge.

        It already is a drawbridge. Not the kind where the roadway swings vertical (which would let pass boats of any height), but one where the roadway is lifted up by both ends, staying horizontal (which still blocks boats that are really tall, even in its open position).

      • This is all true, but the PR of it is understandably and predictably bad.
    • Who cares?

      People who are blocked in traffic.

      • by Paradise Pete ( 33184 ) on Friday February 04, 2022 @03:42AM (#62236271) Journal

        Who cares?

        People who are blocked in traffic.

        They could use the time buying stuff from Amazon.

      • How is this any different than when companies move whole houses through city streets? Heck, they once drove the Space Shuttle through LA. The residents seem to be well aware of the problems with this bridge and can avoid the area for a while.

      • Who cares?

        People who are blocked in traffic.

        What I read in articles about this is that this was a railway bridge - and "bridge was closed to rail traffic in 1993"
        So I would expect there's no impact to traffic other than people coming to see the big cranes, big ship passing through, etc.

    • Re: (Score:2, Troll)

      by CptJeanLuc ( 1889586 )

      One could argue that with the way Amazon & big corporations, and Bezos & filthy rich billionaires are evading all their taxes, it is the taxpayers who are paying for it.

      Well, I'm not a big fan of Bezos, but I can't imagine he has been personally involved in the details around how some yacht he is buying will get to sea - so can't really work up a rage around this one. And if the Dutch locals are fine with the trade-off "we get money & jobs plus get even more jobs rebuilding the bridge", then why

    • As long as he’s paying for it.

      He gets free shipping.

    • They missed a terrific opportunity. They should have demanded ransom to release the yacht. Ten per cent or so sounds fair: that'll be $50 million, please, Mr Bezos. And thank you for contributing so generously to the upkeep of our bridge and our ancient city!

      "Take what you can; give nothing back".

  • be rich (Score:5, Interesting)

    by phantomfive ( 622387 ) on Friday February 04, 2022 @02:31AM (#62236179) Journal

    Here's a picture of the yacht [boatinternational.com]. It costs half a billion dollars. The sails are only on there for appearance (although they can be used).

    He's not going to spend very much time on that yacht.

    • I swear it's just a dick measuring contest for the super rich. The only thing 90% of them do onboard their yachts is threaten James Bond.
    • I suspect that's actually the Black Pearl [wikipedia.org], from the same boatyard. Jeff Bezos' will be 20 meters longer (of course!)

    • That looks pretty average as far as superyachts go

    • Re: (Score:2, Insightful)

      by AmiMoJo ( 196126 )

      Bezos comes across as an asshat. Like when he spoke at a climate conference about how seeing the Earth from space was a life changing event for him and make him realize how fragile the climate it. He doesn't give a shit about the climate, only telling people about how he was the second rich asshat to go into space and what a great accomplishment that was.

      This yacht is just another sign that he has too much money to spend and it isn't trickling down like they said it would.

      • This yacht is just another sign that he has too much money to spend and it isn't trickling down like they said it would.

        That's not entirely correct. Him commissioning the buidling of his yacht employed people to design it, build it and all the other companies involved providing parts and services to the building process.

        Once completed, he will be employing people to run and maintain the yacht, service it, repair it, etc.

        And no, I am not defending him. All I'm saying is in a roundabout way, his money is tr

    • Isn't that the Black Pearl? I doubt it will look exactly the same. Beautiful boat though, if I had that kind of money I'd live on that ship permanently. With my harem :)

    • Bezos is returning the yacht. Apparently, his ego has grown so much since the initial measurement that it now doesn't fit on the boat.
    • by ddtmm ( 549094 )
      That's not Bezos' yacht but his is very similar [superyachttimes.com].
  • Clickbait title? (Score:5, Insightful)

    by peppepz ( 1311345 ) on Friday February 04, 2022 @02:32AM (#62236185)
    The company accepted the contract for building the yacht knowing that this would have required the bridge to be temporarily disassembled (which, by the way, is not what the word "dismantling" conveys, IMHO). If there is "greed" involved here, it's not Jeff Bezos', it's the shipbuilders'. But why should that outrage us, if they have the support of the community? Blue collar jobs are valuable in Europe these times. It's not like the bridge will look any different after it's rebuilt.
    • Exactly. I don't believe for a second that the wording is accidental. Oh yeah, we forgot to mention the word "temporary", let's add that towards the end. It's just a small detail, not important. Articles these days always need to cause outrage.
    • by OngelooflijkHaribo ( 7706194 ) on Friday February 04, 2022 @03:11AM (#62236225)

      This is indeed fine clickbait.

      I, and almost anyone else when reading that title, assumed it meant the bridge would be permanently removed merely to allow Jeff Bezos to visit.

    • I think the whole point was supposed to be that the shipbuilding firm wouldn't have gotten away with it unless a lot of palms were greased. Blaming the ship builder feels like blame shifting to cover for Jeff bezos. Which is an odd thing to do. I've never understood why we Stan for billionaires. I mean do you think Jeff bezos would stand up for you?
  • by WickedWilly ( 78905 ) on Friday February 04, 2022 @02:56AM (#62236207)

    According to this (Dutch) news article, the mayor of Rotterdam did not even see a request for a license.
    https://nos.nl/artikel/2415636... [nos.nl]

    The bridge is also a national monument...

  • by mrwireless ( 1056688 ) on Friday February 04, 2022 @03:00AM (#62236209)

    Dutchie here.

    This is so not an issue. This is about supporting the few shipbuilding companies that still exist here.

    ("A storn in a glass of of water" is a Dutch saying that describes overgrown hoopla about a minor issue.)

    • by pahles ( 701275 )
      *storm
    • ("A storm in a glass of of water" is a Dutch saying that describes overgrown hoopla about a minor issue.)

      "tempest in a teapot" is the equivalent american idiom.
      I think "tempest in a teapot" is an old idiom though - not something you'd commonly hear, but not so rare that it's unheard of.

    • by m1970 ( 8182670 ) on Friday February 04, 2022 @04:09AM (#62236321)
      This bridge should be removed and replace by an easier to maintain monument. The cost for maintaining a bridge which is not being used are just to high. The railway running over it has moved into an underground tunnel 30 years ago. But I do understand the why the bridge is a monument. I do not think the damaged in 1940 was because of the bombing, It was damaged in the battle that was fought over it. Many Marines most new recruits who had not finished there training yet, some just 16 years old , died defending it and stopped the German army from crossing the bridges over the Maas river. Not being able to cross the bridges was the reason why Rotterdam was bombed.
    • by xonen ( 774419 )

      Exactly, some people make it an issue but in effect the bridge gets an inspection and maintenance. The silent majority just says 'thanks for doing business with us'.

    • by Barny ( 103770 ) on Friday February 04, 2022 @05:56AM (#62236473) Journal

      To say nothing about a {obscene amount of money} injected into the local economy by {rich man needing a penis prosthetic} via {local shipbuilding company}.

    • by RobinH ( 124750 )
      You don't understand. A person started a company that nobody thought was possible, grew it into an amazingly efficient empire by providing a very valuable service, but is generally a jerk. The idea that this person can then go take some of their money and buy a big boat just enrages certain people. Apparently because somewhere else on the planet there are people who don't have big boats. So Bezos shouldn't have a big boat until he buys a big boat for all those people first.
  • It's constructor's fault for taking a job that cannot be delivered.
  • I bet they only built it in front of a shipyard so someone rich would pay for it.

  • For example, they can elevate the yacht instead with helium balloons...

  • by couchslug ( 175151 ) on Friday February 04, 2022 @03:36AM (#62236261)

    Techies (Slashdot was once a tech site) should know bridges are not merely static but are complex systems requiring inspection, maintenance and repair. That means the removed components must be inspected before reinstallation to ensure fitness for purpose.

    When someone else (Bezos) is paying for that the proper reaction would be rejoicing.

  • Much ado... (Score:3, Interesting)

    by Xenna ( 37238 ) on Friday February 04, 2022 @04:04AM (#62236305)

    ...about nothing.

    What I find interesting is that they can't land a heli on this sailship beacause of the masts. To solve that problem they're building a fuel burning support ship elsewhere in the Netherlands that can accommodate a heli, so Jeff can land there and shuttle over to his ecological virtue signaling sailing ship.

    There's a lesson about the current state of the world in there somewhere.

    • Haha, wow. So he has a support ship for a common use, while retaining masts for the unlikely situation that the motor can't be used. He should have done it the other way around. If I were him, I'd ditch the masts so the heli can be used for easy transport and have a support ship for the unlikely situation that the motor can't be used.
  • These "news" sites should have verified this story with the city of Rotterdam. The mayor (Aboutaleb) said yesterday that nobody has even asked for permission to disassemble the bridge, and that he was unware of this supposed action, until the story started circulating.

  • temporary in the title?
  • I think it's dreadful the way these so called 'historic monuments' get in the way of our beloved billionaires' modest pleasure craft.
    • His bald ass is going to Mars. He's objectively better than you and you need to get on board with that.
      • I really hope he goes to Mars. And stays there.

      • by Megane ( 129182 )

        His bald ass is going to Mars.

        Not with the lack of progress at Blue Origin. Over twenty years and all he has to show for it is a literal carnival ride. The BE-4 engine is years behind schedule. Even Branson has thrown something into orbit now.

        The only way he's going to Mars is on a SpaceX ship.

  • A society that allows a single person to amassed huge amounts of wealth relative to others is bound to fail. All have failed in the past.
    • The empire that keeps the trade routes open flourishes. The one that turns to lording over its own people collapses, as a new center of empire forms on the outskirts.

      Take a basic world history class

    • A society that allows a single person to amassed huge amounts of wealth relative to others is bound to fail. All have failed in the past.

      Fortunately, the USA has allowed more than person who amassed huge amounts of wealth!

      (I presume you mean single, as in "one"... Bezos is divorced, after all.)

  • When Elon builds even a bigger yacht. ;-)

  • Never mind if the locals wanted it and it's all going to be put back together and be fine ...

    Bezos!

    Rich people (richer than me, anyway)!

    Outrage!!!

  • by argStyopa ( 232550 ) on Friday February 04, 2022 @10:25AM (#62237103) Journal

    Hitpiece, picked up and carried widely across international media, suggesting 'super rich asshole' greedily destroying historic landmark because he doesn't give a fuck about anyone else.

    When in fact it takes about 30 seconds to realize:
    - this is about the Dutch supporting their shipbuilding industry
    - everyone knew this was coming, and Bezos paying for everything was already accounted in the contract*
    - the deliberate use of the word 'dismantle' to imply much more than is happening.

    *I haven't seen anyone mention what I suspect: that the costs supposedly going for the 'dismantlement' will in fact allow the municipality to take apart, INSPECT AND REPAIR, and then re-assemble this historic thing, something nearly any conservator would love to have a chance to do off their own usually paltry restoration budget. So ultimately the structure will likely benefit from the process.

  • by WierdUncle ( 6807634 ) on Friday February 04, 2022 @05:30PM (#62238635)

    It can be put back together after transporting the bits under the bridge.

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