Even a giant ship is too small for Jeff Bezos
Amazon founder Jeff Bezos' "Koru" is the largest sailing yacht in the world - and at 127 meters long, it is a challenge for many ports. But the multi-billionaire also needs a transport ship.
In May, Amazon founder Jeff Bezos was finally able to take delivery of his "Koru". He had ordered the yacht in 2018, but it took five years before he was finally able to weigh anchor. After the huge ship was freed from the dock at the shipyard in Rotterdam, it headed south. It seems that the yacht, crew and owner spent most of the summer in the Mediterranean. The position transmitters were switched off for quite a while, which is why not all routes can be viewed on the relevant websites.
The "Koru" has now completed its longest voyage to date. On November 9, it set course from Gibraltar for the United States - and arrived there last week.
But even in the land of unlimited possibilities, there seem to be limits, as the industry portal "Luxurylaunches" reports. According to the report, the "Koru" was apparently unable to dock alongside the other yachts, but is currently in the industrial part of the Port Everglades harbor.
Instead of lying next to yachts such as the "Man of Steel" or the futuristic "Excellence" and being among her peers, the "Koru" is waiting for her next voyage next to the oil tankers "Hafnia Kallang" and "STI Texas City". At least the passengers on the cruise ships "Eurodam", "Silver Shadow" and "Rhapsody of the Seas" have a good view of the huge schooner, as they are also in the immediate vicinity.
Lack of space without an escort ship
Meanwhile, the shadow ship of the "Koru", the "Abeona", is moored a little further south in the harbor basin. The "Abeona" usually sails together with the "Koru" and carries everything that does not fit on board the sailing ship - be it a helicopter, numerous watercraft or parts of the crew and even guests.
This is not the first time that the gigantic dimensions of the "Koru" have necessitated extra handling. Even its construction was complicated, as its height with masts would have made it impossible to leave the Rotterdam harbor basin without dismantling a bridge. After a long dispute over the "De Hef" bridge, it was decided to lay the "Koru" without masts for the time being and to complete it elsewhere.
Thanks to a publicly accessible price table, you can get a small insight into the costs incurred when yachts such as the "Koru" and the shadow ship block two berths at the same time. The 127-meter yacht (417 feet) costs around 2400 US dollars a day. The price is so high because the "Koru" is too big for the port's yacht rates and has to pay by length. For the "Abeona", which is significantly smaller at 75 meters (246 feet), an additional 507 US dollars is charged daily. Without moving the ships, they therefore cost a total of 2900 US dollars. Every day.
In principle, however, these are - in these spheres - comparatively low operating costs. It is said that the annual maintenance of a yacht costs around ten percent of the purchase price. In the case of the "Koru", it is estimated to cost up to 500 million US dollars. Calculated on a daily basis, this would result in daily expenses of 137,000 US dollars. Added to this is the "Abeona", which, with an estimated purchase price of 75 million US dollars, also costs around 20,500 US dollars. In total, the two ships could consume over 150,000 US dollars a day.
For Jeff Bezos, however, this is quite possible for a while. With an estimated fortune of 163 billion US dollars, he could mathematically operate the fleet for 2977 years - provided no other expenses are added, which is of course completely unrealistic. The calculation is only intended to show that it is clearly not driving the Amazon founder to ruin.
This text first appeared on stern.de
Despite its size, even the giant ship "Koru" struggled to find docking space in Port Everglades. It ended up anchoring next to oil tankers, providing an unusual sight for cruise ship passengers. Jeff Bezos, the owner of "Koru," also relies on a support ship, the "Abeona," to assist with transporting additional equipment, such as a helicopter and watercraft. Despite the high daily costs of operating these massive yachts, the fortune of Amazon founder Jeff Bezos is more than sufficient to sustain them for an extended period.
Source: www.ntv.de
