A LUXURIOUS $22million cruise ship dramatically toppled over during ferocious 180mph typhoon winds.
The Mingzhu Qihao, known as Pearl No.7, was docked in Wenzhou, , when it began to tilt.
The Mingzhu Qihao, known as Pearl No.7 toppled over in 180mph typhoon winds Credit: Jam Press
The mega-ship is worth $22m Credit: Jam Press
Officials said the huge boat dramatically toppled over in high tides fuelled by Typhoon Bavi around 8.10pm on July 14.
The drama unfolded as much of the coast took a battering in the extreme .
Tides were unusually high and the rain was heavy.
The 158m long and 30m wide ship was built in 2012 and is worth around £22 million.
The vessel has been vacant for the past 14 years Credit: Jam Press
There were no reported injuries Credit: Jam Press
The emergency services arrived at the scene within minutes.
The vessel was vacant and there were no reports of injuries.
A spokesman for Wenzhou Mingzhu Cruise Company said: “The idle pontoon ship ‘Mingzhu Qihao’, which was moored at the Ou River Road Yangfushan Puxi platform, tilted during a spring tide flood.
“We immediately activated the contingency plan and relevant departments quickly arrived to handle the situation.”
“The exact cause is under further .”
Officials said the ship was not in operation and had no crew or passengers aboard at the time.
The 7-story ship has sat largely unused for 14 years after a string of setbacks.
Plans to turn it into a five-star floating hotel equipped with restaurants and luxury suites have never fully materialised.
Earlier attempts to moor it elsewhere sparked complaints from locals over blocked views.
Technical and funding issues repeatedly delayed any official launch.
The dramatic tilt came as the ship was still idle at its current berth on the Ou River.
Investigations are continuing into why the giant structure suddenly shifted during the typhoon-driven tidal surge.
The incident has drawn fresh attention to the vessel’s troubled history and questions over its long-term future at the dock.
In 2012, the vessel made headlines when it got wedged under China’s Wenzhou Bridge after the crew found out the hard way that the towering “floating hotel” was too tall.
It comes as in Vietnam.
The vessel had been carrying 32 holidaymakers and four crew members suddenly flipped and threw everyone overboard – two women and 13 men were confirmed dead as a result.
Eze Chidiebere Paul
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