Jeff Bezos' luxury yacht has finally set sail for the first time. This cruise ship, which is estimated to be worth USD 500 million, has caused controversy during its construction process.
The yacht was built by Oceanco, a Netherlands-based custom yacht manufacturing company. The construction process has been carried out since 2021 at a facility owned by Oceanco in Rotterdam, The Netherlands.
During construction, the yacht was known internally as Y721. The 127 meter long yacht now has a name chosen by Bezos, Koru, which is an important Maori symbol.
Quoted from Insider, Monday (20/2/2023) the cruise ship started sailing in its first trials in the open sea last week. The trial was caught on camera by the Dutch Yachting fan club which you can watch below.
Sea trials consist of several tests and are usually the final phase of construction. This means that soon the cruise ship will be delivered to its owner, Jeff Bezos. Once delivered to Bezos, Koru will be the largest cruise ship in the world.
Long before sailing, this cruise ship has gained a lot of controversy. Oceanco initially applied for a permit to dismantle a historic bridge in Rotterdam called the Koningshaven Bridge so that the cruise ship could pass through.
Bezos' yacht has three giant masts that cannot pass under a bridge. The request for permission was met with criticism from Rotterdam residents, with 1,000 residents even threatening to throw eggs at the cruise ship if the bridge was demolished.
Oceanco later withdrew the request for a permit to dismantle the bridge. Jeff Bezos' yacht was then quietly towed to another shipyard without its mast.