Jumbo Seafood Boat moored in the Aberdeen Typhoon Shelter.
Photo by Hong Kong Wen Wei Po reporter
China News Service, May 31. According to Hong Kong Wen Wei Po, the Jumbo Seafood Restaurant, which has been parked in the Aberdeen Typhoon Shelter for more than 45 years, will be moved out of Hong Kong.
It is reported that since the closure of Seafood Boat in March 2020, it has reached a cooperation agreement with the Hong Kong SAR government to donate the boat to Ocean Park for free operation as part of the "Dynamic South of Hong Kong Island" plan.
However, the parent company of Jumbo Seafood Restaurant announced yesterday that Ocean Park could not implement the donation plan because it could not find a suitable third-party organization to operate.
According to the report, the maritime license of Zhenbao Seafood Boat will expire in June this year.
Due to the average annual cost of millions of dollars for inspection, repair and maintenance, coupled with the severe impact of the epidemic in Hong Kong, it is foreseeable that Jumbo Seafood Restaurant will not resume business in the short term, and there are currently no shipyard berths for Jumbo Seafood Restaurant in Hong Kong for each operation. After a large-scale inspection and maintenance once every three years, the parent company decided to move the Jumbo Seafood Restaurant out of Hong Kong next month for the required inspection, maintenance and storage, while waiting for new operators to emerge to find a new way out for the project.
According to reports, Jumbo Seafood Restaurant, which opened in October 1976, has been popular with citizens and tourists and has become a tourist attraction in Hong Kong and the Southern District.
Since 2013, Jumbo Seafood Restaurant has been unable to make ends meet, and its operations have continued to lose money. The outbreak of the new crown epidemic has further impacted the catering and tourism industry, with a cumulative loss of more than 100 million yuan. It has been closed since March 2020.
Jumbo Seafood Boat is 76 meters long, 22 meters wide and 28 meters high. It has three floors and an area of 45,000 square feet. It can accommodate more than 2,300 guests, so it is known as "the world's largest restaurant at sea".
Jumbo was originally built in 1950 and opened by people on the water. After that, it changed hands many times. In 1970, businessman Wang Laoji raised funds to build a larger Jumbo Seafood Boat, but unfortunately, a fire of level 4 occurred before it opened in 1971, and the whole ship was severely burned. , causing 34 deaths and 42 injuries.
Due to Wang Laoji's inability to re-invest, the late "gambling king" Stanley Ho bought the title of Jumbo Seafood Restaurant in 1972. After 4 years and a cost of more than 30 million yuan (HKD), Jumbo Seafood Restaurant was built and opened in 1976. Joined Melco International Development Co., Ltd. in 2002 and carried out renovation works the following year.
Jumbo Seafood Restaurant has become one of the important landmarks in Hong Kong, providing tourists with high-end catering services, a maritime theme park integrating food, leisure and culture.