Hong Kong’s Jumbo floating restaurant capsizes in South China Sea

Hong Kong’s famous Jumbo Floating Restaurant capsized on June 19 after it encountered ‘adverse situations’ in the South China Sea.

The incident took place less than a week after after the restaurant was towed away from the parent company. The restaurant encountered adverse conditions while passing the Xisha or Paracel islands in the South China Sea. Reportedly, water entered the vessel and it began to sink. All the crew members were able to escape and no injuries were reported. However, all efforts to save the ship went in vain.

In a statement on Monday, Aberdeen Restaurant Enterprises said,”When passing Xisha Islands in the South China Sea, the vessel encountered adverse conditions which water soon entered before it began to tip. Despite the efforts of the towing company responsible for the trip to rescue the vessel, unfortunately, it capsized on Sunday.” It also mentioned that the company was much saddened at the loss.

The statement also mentioned that prior to its departure, the vessel had been through a thorough inspection by marine engineers. Hoardings were installed, and all relevant approvals were attained.

Opened in 1976 by the late casino tycoon Stanley Ho, the iconic floating restaurant embodied the height of luxury in its glory days, costing more than 30 million Hong Kong dollars to be set. The restaurant had been Hong Kong’s landmark for over four decades, serving Cantonese cuisine to over 3 million guests including world wide known faces likeQueen Elizabeth II and Tom Cruise.

Post Covid-19 outbreak in 2020, Jumbo ceased operations. Lacking funds to maintain it, an announcement was made that Jumbo would leave Hong Kong and await a new operator at an undisclosed location.