The Renowned Floating Restaurant In Hong Kong Has Sunk
According to its owner, recovering the famous Hong Kong icon from the ocean surface would be "very challenging."
The Jumbo Floating Restaurant, formerly a famous icon of Hong Kong, sunk over the weekend off the Vietnam coast.
The enormous, three-story restaurant, which could accommodate 2,300 diners and was modeled after a Chinese imperial palace, met a terrible end as a result. After more than 40 years of service, it was unable to continue operating and was hauled last week from the city's harbor to an unidentified shipyard in Southeast Asia.
Owner Aberdeen Restaurant Enterprises said in a letter on Monday evening that the ship met "terrible situations" on Saturday while crossing the Xisha Islands, commonly known as the Paracel Islands, in the South China Sea.
Despite attempts to save the ship, water got inside, causing it to start to tilt and capsize on Sunday, according to the business. It stated that carrying out recovery efforts was exceedingly challenging because of the over 1,000 meters of water at the location. Professional maritime experts have extensively examined its hull and placed hoardings before its departure, it was said.
The community was incensed by the report of its tragic trip, and many people came to the Aberdeen Typhoon Shelter last week to say goodbye to the floating attraction.
"The communal memory of the wonderful old times, when there was no epidemic and the business was strong, includes Jumbo however, not everyone in Hong Kong was able to profit equally from the Pearl of the Orient's economic boom, according to Lai, a resident of the city. "We still had optimism, and the city still respected equality and justice," Lai told VICE World News.
He asked that just his last name be used since he works for a federal agency and is concerned about government retaliation. All Hongkongers and I were unable to stop its departure and sinking, which served as a metaphor for the city's painful downfall.
The parent business said in May that it would be removing the ship from the area before its working contract ends in June because it was unable to locate a new manager for the restaurant or a place to anchor the ship. Since the epidemic began in early 2020, the eatery has been shut down. Additionally, the business has lost more than HK$100 million ($12.74 million) since 2013.
Carrie Lam, the departing leader of Hong Kong, has committed to reviving the fleet by 2020. Later that year, after the restaurant's owner decided to transfer it to a nearby theme park, a top official gushed over its "rebirth." But finally, the park claimed it was unable to locate a qualified operator, and the firm battled to stay afloat—both literally and symbolically.
Source: Vice
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