- Jeff Bezos' new $500 million megayacht hit the open water this week to undergo tests.
- Sea trials are usually one of the last phases of construction, bringing the yacht one step closer to full sail.
After drawing the ire of locals for nearly requiring the dismantling of a historic bridge, Jeff Bezos' new megayacht has hit the open water.
The vessel, estimated to cost $500 million, underwent its first day of sea trials in Europe this week, according to yacht fan club Dutch Yachting, which posted a video of the yacht on Monday. Sea trials consist of several tests and are usually one of the last phases of construction, meaning the Amazon founder's yacht is one step closer to full sail.
The boat's sea trials come after a turbulent year for the megayacht, which was built in the Netherlands. Last year, the Dutch company building it, Oceanco, requested that a historic bridge in Rotterdam be dismantled for the yacht to pass because the vessel's three masts were too tall to pass under the bridge, which has a 131-foot clearance.
The yacht, called Koru, measures 417 feet long and is expected to be the biggest sailing yacht in the world once finished.
The bridge in question was the Koningshaven Bridge, colloquially known as "De Hef," which is nearly 100 years old. After it was renovated in 2017, the city vowed not to take it apart again, according to Dutch broadcaster Rijnmond.
The ask didn't go over well. It caused so much public outcry, in fact, that more than 1,000 residents threatened to throw eggs at the yacht if the dismantling came to fruition. Oceanco later withdrew its request to dismantle the bridge, and the yacht was quietly towed under cover of night to another shipyard.
During that voyage, the yacht was towed without its masts, which would be installed later, and it avoided going through the city center and past the Koningshaven Bridge, according to German magazine Der Spiegel.
Watch the latest video of Bezos' yacht here: