Iconic Jumbo Restaurant capsizes in South China Sea

Hong Kong’s iconic Jumbo Floating Restaurant is towed away in Hong Kong, last week

The iconic Jumbo Floating Restaurant capsized on Sunday after encountering adverse conditions while passing Xisha Islands in the South China Sea.

Water entered into the vessel before it began to tip.  

The parent company of the restaurant, Aberdeen Restaurant Enterprises Limited (AREL) announced in a statement last night, that the water depth at the scene is over 1,000 meters, thus “making it extremely difficult to carry out salvage works.”

“Despite the efforts of the towing company responsible for the trip to rescue the vessel, unfortunately it capsized on Sunday. No crew members were injured in the incident,” the statement read. 

It said that the company is “very saddened by this accident,” adding that it is now getting further details of the accident from the towing firm.

In accordance with regulations, professional marine engineers were hired to thoroughly inspect the hull of the Jumbo Floating Restaurant and install hoardings to the vessel before its departure last week. The trip had obtained all relevant approvals, according to AREL.

The landmark floating restaurant that fed Cantonese cuisine and seafood to Queen Elizabeth II, Tom Cruise and millions of other diners was towed from the Hong Kong harborfront last week after being closed by the pandemic.

It wasn’t clear where it will berth next. The company’s plan was to move it to a lower-cost site where maintenance could still be conducted.

The parent company of Jumbo Floating Restaurant couldn’t find a new owner and lacked funds to maintain it after months of Covid-19 restrictions.

Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam had previously rejected suggestions to bail out the restaurant, despite calls from lawmakers to preserve the iconic landmark. LV