JEFF Bezos is set to be the proud owner of the world's biggest sailing yacht when his mammoth 417ft-long vessel finally launches this summer.

The Amazon founder's Y721 is so big that a historic bridge at Rotterdam harbour in the Netherlands where the boat is being built needs to be dismantled to get it out.

Bezos, 58, the world's third-richest man – after Elon Musk and LVMH CEO Bernard Arnault – is building the record-breaking megayacht for a whopping $500 million (£368m).

It will boast three decks – one with a swimming pool – and three gigantic masts so that it can be powered largely via kinetic energy from sails.

The superyacht will still cost around $25 million (£18.4m) a year to run – pocket change if, like Bezos, your net worth is $184 billion (£135.4bn).

It has space for 18 guests, a crew of 40, and even room for smaller boats, jet skis, and a helicopter landing pad – perfect for Bezos' girlfriend Lauren Sanchez, 52, to pop by.

And when it comes to billionaires and their yachts, it appears size really does matter.

Bezos' future yacht – at 417ft (127m) long – will dwarf the next biggest in the world, belonging to US businessman and media mogul Barry Diller.

Diller's yacht 'Eos', on which Bezos' is reportedly based, is a mere 305ft (93m) long.

Among previous guests on Eos include Prince Harry, Katy Perry, and Bradley Cooper.

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The third biggest yacht in the world belongs to Oracle co-founder Larry Ellison.

Named 'Musashi', it is an underwhelming 288ft (88m) long, but still bigger than Google co-founder Sergey Brin's 'Dragonfly'.

The super-futuristic yacht designed by the Google chief cost $80 million (£58.9m) – a drop in the ocean, relatively speaking – and comes in at 240ft (73m) long.

And for Bezos, length isn't the only factor he's worried about.

Even without masts, the yacht reportedly stands at more than 131ft (39m) tall.

In a move that has sparked fury in Rotterdam, Oceanco, the company designing Bezos' yacht, is temporarily dismantling a historic bridge to allow the boat to get out.

BATTLE OF THE MEGA YACHTS

How the world’s biggest superyachts compare

Y721 – Jeff Bezos, Amazon founder

• Cost: $500 million (£368m)
• Length: 417ft
• Running costs: $25 million (£18.4m) a year
• Capacity: Space for 40 crew and 18 guests
• Top speed: 20 knots
• Good to know: It boasts three deck levels, a helicopter landing pad, a swimming pool, and a kinetic-propulsion system

Eos – Barry Diller, IAC chairman

• Cost: $200 million (£147m)
• Length: 305ft
• Running costs: $7 million a year (£5.2m)
• Capacity: Space for 21 crew and 16 guests
• Top speed: 16 knots
• Good to know: Its interior – designed by Francois Catroux, who was known for his 'grand cosiness' style – is said to have inspired Jeff Bezos. Pool on the top deck. Figurehead of Diller's wife, fashion designer Diane von Furstenberg, created by sculptor Anh Duong

Musashi – Larry Ellison, Oracle co-founder

• Cost: $160 million (£118m)
• Length: 288ft
• Running costs: At least $10 million (£7.4m) a year
• Capacity: Space for 23 crew and 18 guests
• Top speed: 12 knots
• Good to know: Features a spa, swimming pool, outdoor gym, and cinema

Dragonfly – Sergey Brin, Google co-founder

• Cost: $81 million (£60m)
• Length: 240ft
• Running costs: $7 million (£5.2m) a year
• Capacity: Space for 16 crew and 14 guests
• Top speed: 25 knots
• Good to know: Includes an open-air cinema, a jacuzzi, and a sundeck that turns into a dance floor

The Konigshaven Bridge, known as De Hef, was built in 1927 close to Rotterdam's city centre, and news of the dismantling has triggered protests.

Opponents have even threatened to pelt the boat with rotten eggs as it passes, while their petition against the move has garnered more than 58,000 signatures.

Authorities in the Dutch city are set to debate the request later this month.

Rotterdam's mayor Ahmed Aboutaleb has stated that no permit has yet been applied for.

"This man has earned his money by structurally cutting staff, evading taxes, avoiding regulations and now we have to tear down our beautiful national monument?" local politician Stephan Leewis tweeted.

"That is really going a bridge too far."

Oceanco has declined to confirm whether Bezos had commissioned the new boat.

Meanwhile, the yacht itself has drawn criticism from industry insiders.
Russell Crump, an independent broker of yachts, told the New York Post: "If I was Jeff Bezos I would have gone for something a bit more radical, but it is a big yacht, which I guess is the point.

"It will be beautiful… Oceanco is the biggest and the best builder in Holland."

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