Jeff Bezos’ yacht has finally set sail after five years of rumors, controversies, and more than its fair share of controversy. The massive 417-foot warship, officially known as Koru, has been observed in the North Sea conducting its first tests since departing Rotterdam in February.
It hasn’t been simple getting to this stage. Oceanco, the bespoke yacht builder behind the famed Black Pearl, was working on the world’s largest sailing boat, codenamed Y721, in 2018.
Consequently, reporters spent a lot of time attempting to determine who was responsible for the record-breaking ship. It came as little surprise when reports alleging Jeff Bezos was the billionaire funding the new project emerged after several months of rumors.
After all, with an estimated net worth of $128 billion, he is the third richest man in the globe. So, it seemed inevitable that the creator of Amazon would join the superyacht arms race.
Nevertheless, as the sparkling new vessel neared completion, Oceanco encountered a stumbling obstacle. Koru’s departure from Rotterdam was more difficult than the Dutch shipbuilder had anticipated. Jeff Bezos’ new boat is so massive that the space billionaire volunteered to pay to have the city’s historic Koningshaven Bridge demolished to allow it to pass.
Needless to say, this did not sit well with the villagers, who signed a petition to shower the boat with rotten eggs on her inaugural trip. After the public uproar, Oceanco abandoned plans to dismantle the bridge and instead moved the massive boat in the early hours of the morning to another shipyard where its masts were attached.
