Floating Restaurant Jumbo Capsized in 2022

On March 3, 2020, the floating restaurant Jumbo, berthed at the South Aberdeen Typhoon Shelter, closed after 44 years of operation. A popular tourist attraction in the 1980s and 1990s, Jumbo had been visited by millions of tourists as well as by famous personalities such as Queen Elizabeth II, U.S. President Jimmy Carter, and actor Tom Cruise.

Unfortunately, the 21st century was not as kind to the renowned restaurant. As of 2022, Jumbo had been unprofitable since 2013, accumulating losses exceeding HKD 100 million (approximately USD 12.8 million). Eventually, the restaurant closed on March 3, 2020.

After years of speculation regarding the future of Jumbo, including a possible conversion into a Bruce Lee museum, it was decided on May 30, 2022, that the restaurant would leave Hong Kong.

On June 14, 2022, Jumbo was towed out of Hong Kong, heading for Cambodia. However, on June 18, 2022, the floating restaurant began taking on water due to adverse weather and started listing. Rescue efforts were undertaken to salvage the floating restaurant.

Unfortunately, Jumbo capsized the next day near the Paracel Islands, a disputed archipelago off the coast of Hainan and Vietnam, in waters approximately 1,000 meters (3,300 feet) deep.