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The historic Jumbo Floating Restaurant of Hong Kong has sunk in the South China Sea after leaving the city last week. The vessel met with unfavourable weather conditions while passing the Paracel Islands, as confirmed by its owners. “Despite the efforts of the towing company responsible for the trip to rescue the vessel, unfortunately it capsized on Sunday,” a statement from Aberdeen Restaurant Enterprises said on Monday night. As the water depth exceeded 1,000 metres, it was too challenging to carry out salvage works. Luckily, no crew members were injured.
Jumbo Kingdom, which was once the world’s largest floating restaurant, starred in several Hong Kong and international movies, such as Bruce Lee’s “Enter the Dragon” and “James Bond: The Man with the Golden Gun.” It also hosted distinguished personalities such as Queen Elizabeth II, Jimmy Carter and Tom Cruise. The restaurant was celebrated for its lavish Imperial-style façade, neon lights, humongous paintings and colourful Chinese-style motifs.
The 46-year vintage landmark was set to be refurbished in China. It had suffered accumulated deficits of more than HK$100 million since 2013, and the state of affairs worsened amidst the Covid-19 pandemic. The kitchen flotilla sank in Aberdeen harbour sank in June. The news was met with trepidation online, with many Hong Kong social media users bemoaning the maladroit end to one of Hong Kong’s most iconic tourist attractions.
