With luxury yacht builders trying to convince China’s nouveau rich to think bigger and splashier, the Sept. 29 launching of a luxury houseboat purported to cost more than $2.6 million included speeches from a formal stage erected for the momentous occasion.
As the vessel, named SS Jiugang, was rolled into the Yellow River, the crowd of onlookers watched as the stern slipped under water and became stuck as workers desperately tried to shove the boat into the river. Photos show the stern half of the boat fully submerged and the bow pointing 30 degrees into the air.
A government transportation officials later blamed “improper handling from the builders who mistakenly estimated the water level,” according to a local account.
On Oct. 2, the boat was pulled from the water, and is currently under repair.
Click here for a video of the launch.
Click here for a Western professional mariner’s take on the incident.
