Jeff Bezos sparks concerns after pulling into port in $500 million superyacht: 'A hotel running on the water all the time'

As one of the wealthiest people on the planet, Amazon founder Jeff Bezos has proved that he is anything but shy about spending his money. There's probably no greater example of that than his willingness to drop half a billion on his superyacht, Koru.  

Not only is the superyacht one of the most expensive in the world, but it's also one of the longest as well. At 417 feet long, Koru is hard to miss as it glides in to dock at any port in the world. Or at least it was supposed to.

First reported by Interesting Engineering, the massive watercraft encountered a problem as it attempted to dock at Port Everglades in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Although the seaport is noted for its ability to welcome most superyachts, Koru's especially large size proved to be too difficult to work around. As a result, the ship was forced to dock near two oil tankers instead. 

Docking a superyacht next to a pair of homely ships may not be ideal, but it hasn't slowed down Bezos in the slightest. With an estimated yearly upkeep cost of $25 million, the reported $2,400 daily docking fee at Port Everglades barely moved the needle. 

With three decks, a swimming pool, a gym, and two MTU diesel engines, Koru has drawn the ire of critics for its annual carbon pollution and other forms of pollution, including wastewater as well as noise and light pollution. Altogether, it is estimated that the superyacht produces over 7,000 tons of carbon dioxide every year. 

American anthropologist Richard Wilk offered up a pointed critique on the trend of superyachts among the world's wealthiest. 

"The emissions of the superyachts are way above anything else," Wilk told the Guardian. "They have to have a crew, and they have to be constantly maintained even when they are docked."  

With the addition of onboard items such as helicopters, jet skis, and even private submarines, superyachts can often require massive amounts of energy and fuel to keep everything primed and ready to go. "It is like having a hotel running on the water all the time," added Wilk. 

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