Ever since her launch in April 2023, centibillionaire Jeff Bezos’s Koru megayacht has been the recipient of endless praise. Boasting the title of the world’s largest sailing yacht, longer than two Airbus A380s and with an astronomical $500 million price tag, this superyacht shattered boundaries and redefined luxury. It’s hard to find faults in the Oceanco beauty that sets the Amazon billionaire back by at least $137,000 a day.
Trouble has docked for the 417-foot megayacht, as Dutch daily NRC revealed that the world’s third-richest man’s (worth $223 billion) prized vessel features ‘controversial wood’ sourced from Myanmar. Shipbuilder Oceanco now faces a €150,000 ($158,000) fine for failing to trace the wood’s origin. The shipyard violated the European Timber Regulation, which prohibits the import of illegally logged timber.
As per the public prosection service, the renowned yacht builder also purchased teak furniture for the ship and teak for its finishing via a Turkish woodworking company without investigating the origin.
Though banned, Myanmar teak is revered as ‘the Rolls-Royce of woods,’ celebrated for its unparalleled strength and natural oil-rich resilience. Moreover, it is specifically favored by shipbuilders for its strength, anti-slip properties, and resistance to rot. As a tropical wood, it stays cool under the sun, allowing Bezos and his fiancée Lauren to comfortably walk barefoot on the deck.
Built over five years with a remarkable volume of 3,300 GT, the vessel proudly showcases teak decks sourced from Myanmar. The press release from the Public Prosecution Service states that the company never intended to violate the Timber Act but confirms that it did indeed fail to investigate the origin.
This revelation invites a closer look at Koru’s magnificent wooden features, none more captivating than the elegant figurehead on the prow, a masterfully crafted sculpture bearing an uncanny resemblance to Bezos’s glamorous fiancée, helicopter pilot Lauren Sanchez.
According to AIS data, the mammoth megayacht is now making her way to the United States, following a brief stop in Gibraltar and routine maintenance at France’s La Ciotat shipyard. One can only hope Oceanco has learned from its missteps and avoided further oversights.
