Hong Kong’s iconic Jumbo Floating Restaurant has capsized in the South China Sea less than a week after being towed away from the city.
According to the restaurant owner, he encountered “adverse conditions” as he passed the Xisha Islands, also known as the Paracel Islands.
Water came in and began to fall.
No one was injured, but efforts to save the ship failed and it capsized.
A statement from Aberdeen Restaurant Enterprises said it was “very sad” about what had happened.
Image: The journey had begun calmly
He added that as the water depth exceeded 1,000 meters, it was “extremely difficult to carry out rescue work”.
At almost 80 meters (260 feet) long, Jumbo had been a landmark in Hong Kong for more than four decades, serving Cantonese cuisine to more than a million guests, including the Queen and Tom Cruise.
It closed in 2020 due to the pandemic and laid off all its staff.
Aberdeen Restaurant Enterprises said the restaurant became a financial burden to its shareholders, with millions of Hong Kong dollars spent on its inspection and maintenance even though it was not in operation.
It was towed last Tuesday.
Image: The restaurant, which lit up every night, was a heavily photographed part of the Hong Kong skyline
The company planned to move it to a lower cost location where maintenance could be done.
He said that before his departure, the ship had been thoroughly inspected by marine engineers and all relevant approvals had been obtained.
What happened is being investigated.