The Jumbo floating restaurant in Hong Kong sank in the South China Sea near the Paracel Islands on Sunday marking the end of an era.
The restaurant, which attracted the likes of Queen Elizabeth II and Tom Cruise, ran into losses following the Covid-19 pandemic after which it was closed down.
The parent company of the floating restaurant said the boat ‘encountered adverse conditions’ on Sunday and started to take on water, Aberdeen Restaurant Enterprises said in a statement.
“The water depth at the scene is over 1,000 meters, making it extremely difficult to carry out salvage works,” the statement said.
The Aberdeen Restaurant Enterprises said they were saddened by the incident. No crew members were injured.
The floating restaurant, opened in 1976 by the late casino tycoon Stanley Ho, cost $3 million to build.
The restaurant was designed like a Chinese imperial palace and featured a “dragon throne” in the style of the Ming dynasty along with murals.
However, the upkeep of the restaurant and financial woes troubled the operators long before the Covid-19 pandemic hit.
Exacerbated by the pandemic, losses since 2013 ran into $12.7 million, forcing its operators to close the restaurant.
For many Hong Kong residents, it was akin to bidding farewell to their childhood.
“There are quite some childhood memories for me. I feel a bit sad. (Coming here) to see it is like bidding my farewell,” a resident who goes by the surname Cheung told news agency AFP.
The boat, a must-see landmark, was even featured in several films – including Steven Soderbergh’s “Contagion”.
At its prime, the 250 feet-long boat could house 2,300 diners.
Though restaurant owner Melco International Development said that the floating restaurant would leave Hong Kong and await a new operator at an undisclosed location following its license expiration earlier this month, but a suspected hull breach tilted the boat almost 90 degrees, signaling its structure was dilapidated.
Hong Kong’s former leader Carrie Lam in 2020 announced plans to turn the restaurant over to local theme park Ocean Park for revitalisation but not being able to find an operator dented those plans.
For many gathered at the Aberdeen waterfront, the towing away symbolized the end of Hong Kong as they knew it and served as a metaphor for Hong Kong’s future, as it risks losing its status as an international hub after China announced plans to remodel it in the ways suggested by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).
(with inputs from AFP)
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