Hong Kong’s famous floating jumbo restaurant capsizes at sea

Hong Kong’s popular floating jumbo restaurant has capsized in the South China Sea, the parent company said on Monday, less than a week after it was towed away from the city.

The restaurant encountered “adverse conditions” on Saturday as it passed the Xisha Islands, also known as the Paracel Islands, in the South China Sea, and the waters entered the ship and began to capsize, according to Aberdeen Restaurant Enterprises Limited.

No one was injured, the company said, but efforts to rescue the ship were unsuccessful and capsized on Sunday.

“Since the water depth at the site is more than 1,000 meters (it makes) very difficult to carry out rescue work,” it said in a statement.

She added that the company was “deeply saddened by this incident.”

The floating Jumbo Restaurant, approximately 80 meters (260 feet) long, has been a Hong Kong landmark for more than four decades, serving Cantonese cuisine to more than 3 million guests including Queen Elizabeth II and Tom Cruise.

It closed its doors in 2020 due to the pandemic and laid off all its employees. Aberdeen Restaurant Enterprises said the restaurant had become a financial burden on its shareholders, with millions of Hong Kong dollars spent on inspection and maintenance despite it not being operational.

The restaurant was pulled away last Tuesday. The company said it plans to move it to a lower-cost location where maintenance can be done.

It said that prior to its departure, the ship’s naval engineers underwent a thorough check and the panels were installed, and all relevant approvals obtained.

“The company is now obtaining more details about the accident from the towing company,” the statement said.