After the “Jumbo Kingdom” capsized, speculation arose in Hong Kong: Was the accident on the world’s largest restaurant ship deliberately caused to collect an insurance sum? On the other hand, the operator defends himself: You will not benefit from the accident.

A week after the “Jumbo Kingdom”, the world’s largest restaurant ship, capsized, many questions remain unanswered. Where the ship is, whether it has now sunk or why there are no photos from the scene of the accident – ​​the operators of the “Jumbo Kingdom” do not give any information about it. This fed rumors in Hong Kong and the media in the Chinese special administrative region that insurance fraud could also be committed with the accident. (Read more about this here)

However, the operators are now opposed to this. The ship has transport insurance to protect and compensate third parties, according to a press release that is also available to the star. “This insurance covers the damage of third parties, not the company,” says the letter from Aberdeen Restaurant Enterprises, which was sent by a contracted PR agency. Accordingly, only damage to other ships or objects caused by the “Jumbo Kingdom” will be compensated, but no damage to the restaurant ship. Aberdeen Restaurant Enterprises therefore does not receive any payment from its own insurance.

The 2,300-seat “Jumbo Kingdom” was docked in Aberdeen, Hong Kong, from 1976 to mid-June. At the end of May, the operators announced that the ship would be taken to an initially unknown location. In its press release, Aberdeen Restaurant Enterprises also refers to the high costs when deciding to do so. The ship has lost more than twelve million euros since 2013, with the beginning of the corona pandemic it was closed in March 2020 and no longer generated any income. In their statement, the operators rejected the allegations that the “Jumbo Kingdom” was not suitable for transport. “The company hired international marine engineers to inspect the ship and obtained permission from the authorities before the ship left Hong Kong.”

“Jumbo Kingdom”: Capsized or sank?

The operators also defend themselves against the accusation that the case was reported too late to the responsible naval authority. According to its own information, the Navy Office found out about the disaster in the South China Sea through media reports. According to Hong Kong regulations, a spill involving a Hong Kong-registered vessel must be reported within 24 hours. This obligation was met with a statement on Monday and a detailed report was submitted on Thursday.

This was also confirmed by the Navy Office on Thursday and also stated that the “Jumbo Kingdom” had not yet sunk. The operators also confirm this in their message from Sunday. “As the ship passed the Paracel Islands, water entered the ship and it began to tilt.” A tugboat tried to save the boat, but it capsized. With their first message on June 20, the operators caused a lot of confusion. It was also stated there that the “Jumbo Kingdom” had capsized, but also that the water depth at the scene of the accident was 1,000 meters and would make salvage difficult. International media then announced the sinking of the ship, and it was not until Thursday that the PR agency commissioned clarified that the “Jumbo Kingdom” had not sunk, following the announcement by the port authority. Accordingly, the tugboat is currently still near the scene of the accident in order to “ensure the safety of the waterway”.