Rotterdam mayor confirms 'no application' made to dismantle bridge for 127m Oceanco

The Mayor of Rotterdam has denied reports that the Dutch city would dismantle the Koningshaven bridge to allow Oceanco's 127 metre sailing yacht project to pass through.

The news follows a report last week appearing to confirm that a portion of the bridge, known by locals as De Hef, would need to be removed to accommodate the record-breaking build as it makes its way from the shipyard to the sea. The mayor of Rotterdam, Ahmed Aboutaleb, has since made a statement denying the claims. 

According to Dutch newspaper Algemeen Dagblad,  Aboutaleb said the news had been "exaggerated" and that "no decision has yet been taken, not even an application for a permit." 

The 127 metre Oceanco sailing yacht, also known as Y721, was reportedly commissioned by Amazon founder Jeff Bezos and is set to become the world's largest sailing yacht when delivered later this year, unseating the current titleholder Sea Cloud. The bridge in question has only 40 metres of clearance which would not be enough to accommodate the trio of masts on board Y721.

Marcel Walravens who project managed a recent five-year renovation of the bridge, told Dutch news outlet Rijnmond that it was "not practical" to partially finish the vessel and complete the build elsewhere. "If you carry out a big job somewhere, you want all your tools in that place. Otherwise you have to go back and forth constantly. In addition, this is such a large project that there are hardly any locations where this work is finished."

Y721 is the longest yacht to have been built in the Netherlands and the largest ever superyacht built at Oceanco. The yacht was first glimpsed in October 2021 as she was rolled out of the sheds at the Dutch shipyard. The project features a black hull, white superstructure and classic exterior lines. 

In September 2021, a book named Amazon Unbound appeared to confirm the long-standing rumours that Amazon founder Jeff Bezos is the owner of the secretive 127 metre sailing yacht. An excerpt, which was published by Bloomberg, described the superyacht as “one of the finest sailing yachts in existence,” with "several decks" and "three enormous masts." The book reports that an accompanying support boat is also under construction.

Oceanco is no stranger to record-breaking superyachts. The shipyard delivered the 106.7 metre Black Pearl in 2018, which remains the largest DynaRig sailing yacht in the world, characterised by three 70 metre-tall carbon masts.

Previously speaking to BOAT International, an Oceanco spokesperson said: "Oceanco values the privacy and confidentiality of all our clients and prospective clients and therefore does not comment on our involvement or non-involvement in specific projects."

According to BOAT Pro, the record-breaking yacht will make its official debut in 2022