The floating jumbo restaurant in Hong Kong is drowning in the sea

The sprawling 260-foot boat has spent nearly half a century in Hong Kong waters, hosting “many international dignitaries and celebrities,” including Queen Elizabeth II and Tom Cruise, according to the Jumbo Kingdom website.

Aberdeen Restaurant Enterprises previously said it couldn’t afford maintenance — with millions of dollars spent on inspections and repairs to meet licensing requirements. The Hong Kong government, headed by Chief Executive Carrie Lam, has rejected calls for a temporary financial relief.

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“We have clearly indicated that the government has no plans to invest money in operating the restaurant because we are not very good at managing such buildings,” Lam said.

Even before the pandemic, the restaurant, which served Cantonese cuisine, was piling debts. But Hong Kong’s early move to ban tourists severely affected the kingdom of Jumbo and other attractions.

Earlier this month, before its drop, the restaurant was 130 feet tall Cut off the kitchen fleet from the back From the boat and drowned in the Aberdeen Typhoon shelter in Hong Kong.

It was not clear exactly where Aberdeen Restaurant Enterprises plans to take the restaurant before it sinks. A company spokesman said South China Morning Newspaper That the ship was towed somewhere in Southeast Asia.