Hong Kong's iconic Jumbo Floating Restaurant capsizes at sea
HONG KONG — Hong Kong's iconic Jumbo Floating Restaurant has capsized in the South China Sea less than a week after it was towed away from the city, its parent company said Monday.
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.
It said the company "is very saddened by this accident."
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.
The restaurant was towed away last Tuesday. The company said it planned to move it to a lower-cost site where maintenance could be carried out.
It said that prior to its departure, the vessel had been thoroughly inspected by marine engineers and hoardings were installed, and all relevant approvals were obtained.
"The company is now getting further details of the accident from the towing company," the statement said.
https://www.npr.org/2022/06/20/1106292397/hong-kong-jumbo-floating-restaurant-capsizes
= new reply since forum marked as read
Also looks very unsafe for emergency egress as well as a COVID incubator.......
Things are going downhill for the iconic Jumbo Floating Restaurant in Aberdeen as its kitchen partially sank overnight amid preparations for its exit from the city. Photos on social media show the kitchen boat – which is structurally separate from the restaurant itself – tilting close to 90 degrees over.
Police said they received a report at 11:52pm on Tuesday from a 62-year-old security guard who works at the restaurant about the boat taking on water. Three officers arrived at the scene and found three people safe on board the boat. There were no casualties or missing people. Police said the tilting of the boat is believed to have been caused by the poor condition of its structure. There is no danger or suspicious circumstances involved, they added. The case has been passed on to the Marine Department for follow-up.
The sinking is the latest setback for the renowned attraction, which has been a fixture in the Aberdeen South Typhoon Shelter for more than four decades. Jumbo’s parent company, Aberdeen Restaurant Enterprises, announced on Monday that the floating restaurant would leave Hong Kong in June after it failed to find an operator and a dry dock in Hong Kong for it to carry out large-scale inspection and maintenance. It is also facing huge financial losses.
The company said it would look for a suitable parking space out of Hong Kong to lower costs while it waits for a new operator. The news was met with an outpouring of sadness on social media, with many netizens lamenting the imminent departure of the Southern District icon.
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