Jumbo Floating Restaurant, an iconic Hong Kong landmark, has capsized and sunk in the South China Sea, while under tow to an undisclosed location.
NPR reports that the restaurant encountered “adverse conditions” on Saturday as it was passing the Xisha Islands, also known as the Paracel Islands, in the South China Sea, and water entered the vessel and it began to tip, according to Aberdeen Restaurant Enterprises Ltd.
The company said no one was injured, but that efforts to save the vessel failed and it capsized on Sunday.
“As the water depth at the scene is over 1,000 meters, (it makes it) extremely difficult to carry out salvage works,” it said in a statement.
The Jumbo Floating Restaurant, almost 80 meters (260 feet) in length, had been a landmark in Hong Kong for over four decades, serving Cantonese cuisine to over 3 million guests including Queen Elizabeth II 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.
Hong Kong’s iconic Jumbo Floating Restaurant capsizes and sinks in South China Sea
I can’t be the only one who suspects that it was sunk on purpose for the insurance. Encountering “adverse conditions” near the scantly inhabited Paracel Islands, that’s as suspicious-sounding as it gets.
A floating restaurant that has not made a profit since 2013 sinks in 1000 metres of water under tow in heavy weather easily predicted in this modern day of weather apps?
It’s enough to make you cynical.
The price of scrap is quite strong at the moment but perhaps the insured value was even stronger.
No doubt the underwriters will be taking a very close look at the circumstances of the sinking.
I wonder if we will ever get to hear the result.