According to Hong Kong's Ming Pao reported on June 20, Hong Kong's Jumbo Seafood Boat departed from Hong Kong last Tuesday (14th), and sailed to the waters near the Paracel Islands in the South China Sea on the afternoon of Saturday (18th), when it encountered wind and waves, the hull of the boat began to tilt into the water. After unsuccessful attempts to rescue, it eventually sank into the water. No crew members were injured in the incident. Due to the water depth of more than 1,000 meters at the site of the incident, the salvage project was very difficult.
Aberdeen Food & Beverage Group reportedly said it was saddened by the accident and was learning more about the accident from the tugboat company.
The Group said that according to the requirements of the regulations, Jumbo Seafood Boat had hired professional marine engineering personnel to inspect the hull and add the hoard in detail before leaving the port, and obtained all the required approvals for the voyage.
With effect from 3 March 2020, Jumbo Seafood Has been suspended from operation due to the COVID-19 pandemic and its maritime licence expired in June this year. On the 14th, it officially moved out of Hong Kong and planned to go to Southeast Asia for maintenance.
Jumbo Seafood Is the filming location for many films
It is understood that The Jumbo Seafood Boat is well known to mainland audiences, starting from Stephen Chow's movie "God Eater". Back in the 1970s and 1980s, Jumbo Seafood Restaurant became the world's largest maritime restaurant, and in addition to the exquisite shape, the internal facilities were also very luxurious.
The dragon chair, the splendid decoration, the transparent night view and so on seen in "God Eater" are its main features. In addition, the ingredients on board are also very fresh and expensive, which has attracted many Chinese and foreign fans.
In addition to "God Eater", Seafood Boat is also the filming venue for many sets of movies, including "Infernal Affairs 2", and even Bruce Lee's "Dragon Fight tiger fight" and the "007" series of movies "Donkey Kong vs. The Golden Gunner" have been filmed on the ship. The famous video game "Hungry Wolf Legend 2" and the scene of "Resident Evil 6" are also taken from this treasure.
The return banquet in "Infernal Affairs 2" was also held in the Treasure Seafood Boat, and Ni Yongxiao, played by Wu Zhenyu, said before going, "Get this time, our Ni family can raise their heads and be human."
After years of losses, he was forced to shut down
Located in wong Chuk Hang Deep Bay in the southern district of Hong Kong Island, this illuminated cruise ship dates back to the 1950s and can accommodate more than 2,000 diners at a time, and was once known as the "world's largest sea restaurant".
In March 2020, under the double blow of losses and the epidemic, Jumbo Seafood Restaurant announced its closure. Since then, its attribution has undergone several twists and turns.
Jumbo Seafood Boat was unable to survive long before the epidemic. The pandemic is just the last straw that overwhelms Jumbo's seafood boat.
As early as 2013, it lost a lot of money and has been in a state of not being able to make ends meet. By the eve of the epidemic, Jumbo Seafood Had accumulated a loss of HK$100 million.
In January 2020, Jumbo Seafood Farm laid off more than half of its staff, from more than 130 staff to 60 people, and its business hours were changed from 11:00 to 23:30 every day to two meals a day from Tuesday to Sunday. The original two piers were also changed to one pier.
Inside the Jumbo Seafood Boat
In this context, there was another epidemic, and it was quickly shut down by the owner Aberdeen Catering Group. The group also said it would like to donate it to institutions that are willing to continue to operate.
At the end of 2020, the government agreed to the donation, and Ocean Park Hong Kong took over the treasure seafood boat that no one wanted, becoming part of the "Jump Hong Kong Island South" plan.
In the future, Jumbo Seafood Restaurant will be used as a non-profit organization as a cultural tourist attraction in Hong Kong.
Two years later, however, at the end of last year, Ocean Park rejected the donation on the grounds that there was nowhere to moor and no third-party operating company. After all, not long ago, the Ocean Park was almost closed because it was on the verge of bankruptcy, and it was still surviving.
Since the beginning of this year, Aberdeen Catering Group has negotiated with dozens of institutions, but no one is willing to pay such high operating costs.
In June, Jumbo Seafood's special maritime licence expired. Although it has not yet been able to find its next home, it must also leave the coast.
Unexpectedly, this trip to the coast and to Southeast Asia has become the masterpiece of the treasure seafood boat.
The seafood restaurant has received countless political leaders and celebrities from all over the world
Jumbo Seafood Restaurant, a collection of food, leisure and culture in one of the sea theme park, lasted 4 years, cost more than 30 million Hong Kong dollars to build, completed and opened in 1976, an area of more than 4,000 square meters, can accommodate more than 2,300 guests, six different characteristics of the banquet hall can accommodate up to 720 people, magnificent decoration.
Jumbo Seafood Has received more than 30 million people, including countless politicians and business celebrities, including Queen Elizabeth II, international superstars Tom Cruise, John Wayne, You Bernard, Zhou Runfa, Gong Li and so on.
In 1976, the old photo of the Jumbo Seafood Boat. Source: Hong Kong Wen Wei Po
The owner of Jumbo Seafood Boat has also changed a lot, in the early 90s, it belonged to Wang Laoji, and then because of a series of changes, it reached the hands of Ho Hung-sun, after renovation, this time it was renewed and became a famous tourist attraction in Hong Kong. Ho's birthday before 2013 was spent here.
Some people say that now the seafood boat has officially bid farewell to the world and sunk to the bottom of the sea, which is also a good home.
Perhaps, although we are reluctant to admit or accept it, the sinking of the Jumbo Seafood Boat to the bottom of the sea may be a deliberate arrangement.