Hong Kong Jumbo: Owners of Jumbo Floating Restaurant backtrack on sinking claims as authorities investigate

The apparent shift in messaging follows a request from Hong Kong’s Marine Department for the restaurant group to provide a written report into the incident as part of an initial investigation.

A spokesman for Aberdeen Restaurant Enterprises Limited told CNN on Friday it had always used the term “capsize” to describe the incident and had never claimed the vessel had sunk.

Asked whether this contradicted previous statements, the spokesman said the firm was required “to report the depth of the waters where (the incident) took place,” and declined to answer whether this meant the vessel was salvageable or remained afloat.

Historic icon

A principal Hong Kong tourist attraction, the restaurant had provided a backdrop for numerous movies, including “Enter the Dragon” starring Bruce Lee, and “James Bond: The Man with the Golden Gun.” It also hosted visiting luminaries including Queen Elizabeth II, Jimmy Carter and Tom Cruise.

Several proposals had been put forward to save the restaurant, but its high maintenance cost had deterred potential investors, with Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam also ruling out a potential government bailout to save the attraction.

The boat was towed away from Hong Kong on June 14, after nearly half a century moored in the city’s southwest waters.

Although the owners initially declined to state its intended location, it was later revealed by the Marine Department that it was due to be taken to a shipyard in Cambodia.

News of its sinking had been met with consternation online, with many Hong Kong social media users bemoaning the inelegant end to one of the city’s most recognized historic icons.

Tourism lawmaker Perry Yiu Pak-leung said Jumbo Kingdom’s sinking was a loss for the city’s heritage.

“Hong Kong should take this as a lesson. The government, conservationists, historians and the commercial sector should be working together to protect and make good use of these [historic] sites,” he said. “We stalled too long.”

Calls for an investigation

Hong Kong lawmakers are now calling on the government to launch a more thorough investigation.

“We need to know if the tug boat company were involved in any malpractice or human error at sea when they towed away the Jumbo Kingdom vessel,” said Tik Chi-yuen, chairman of the Third Side political party.

Stephen Li, a professor at the Hong Kong Polytechnic University’s Department of Logistics and Maritime Studies, said it was “quite uncommon” for a vessel to sink simply due to bad weather, adding that sea transport is “very safe these days” given advancements in navigation technology.

But an investigation could take years, said Li, especially as it occurred outside of the city’s jurisdiction in international waters.

The Marine Department said in a statement on Wednesday that the ship owner had hired an agency to inspect the vessel and made sure it was seaworthy before being towed.

It is not clear whether the vessel was insured, potentially complicating any salvage operations.

Andrew Brooker, managing director of Hong Kong-based marine insurance firm Latitude Brokers, said it was “incredibly unlikely” the vessel was insured for loss or damage.

“The marine insurance market does not like [to carry the risk of] 50-year-old barges being towed across 1,000 kilometers of open ocean in typhoon season,” he said.

Brooker added that Jumbo Kingdom’s owners would not have been legally required to insure the vessel outside of Hong Kong waters.