Jeff Bezos' $500M Superyacht Spotted In North Sea: All You Need To Know

Former Amazon founder Jeff Bezos' $500 million superyacht appears to be ready for the sea. It was recently spotted in the North Sea after leaving Rotterdam, Europe's largest seaport located in the Dutch province of South Holland.

Codenamed Y721 or Project 721, the 417-foot-long vessel was seen leaving Rotterdam on Feb. 13 after completing a round of tests, according to footage shared by the ship-watching website Dutch Yachting.

The superyacht took five long years to complete. Bezos christened it Koru, a Maori word indicating "new beginnings," NYPost reported.

At over 230-foot, it is said to be the tallest vessel in the world. The vessel has three decks, one of which also features a swimming pool. It contains a secondary 76-meter support vessel featuring a helicopter landing pad for Bezos and his guests. It is the largest-ever support vessel developed by Damen Yacht. The support vessel Abeona, named after the Roman goddess for outward journeys and safe passage, can fit 45 people, as per Boat International.

The yacht's three huge masts help it operate with kinetic energy from the sails. The aluminum and steel schooner requires a crew of 40 sailors and can host 18 guests.

Built by Oceanco at its shipyard in Alblasserdam, Netherlands, Bezos' super boat landed in a controversy last year after it was reported that the historic Koningshaven Bridge in Rotterdam would be temporarily dismantled to fit the ship's clearance. While Koningshaven had a clearance of 130 feet, Bezos' ship stood at 131 feet (without the masts).

Bezos and shipmaker Oceano had reportedly applied for a permit to dismantle the 100-year-old bridge and pay Rotterdam city back for the renovations needed for the vessel to leave the port.

However, after public backlash, which included threats from residents to throw eggs at the ship, Oceanco withdrew its request to dismantle the bridge and towed away the vessel to another shipyard in a town 24 miles away without its masts for final completion, reported Benzinga.

The project was initially announced in 2018 and the hull of the superyacht became ready only in October 2021. The superyacht will require approximately $25 million in annual costs for operations.

Koru is not the world's most expensive yacht. The title is held by the History Supreme, worth $4.8 billion. The gold and platinum-plated vessel features a Tyrannosaurus rex bone wall made of meteoric stone. It was bought by an anonymous Malaysian businessman in 2011.

Bezos is currently the third-wealthiest person in the world, with a net worth of $118 billion, according to Forbes.