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US firm's luxury cruise ship halts voyage over rising fuel costs, 203 passengers stranded in Cambodia
The nearly 200-metre-long ship, which can carry up to 650 passengers, left Belfast on October 1, 2024, for a voyage around the world.
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More than 200 passengers were left stranded in Cambodia after a luxury cruise ship on a years-long world voyage suspended operations on Tuesday due to soaring fuel costs.
The luxury ship, Villa Vie Odyssey, also known as MV Odyssey, was carrying 203 passengers, mostly Americans, and 156 crew members, Cambodian officials told the Associated Press.
Its Florida-based operator, Villa Vie Residences, said monthly fuel expenses per cabin that historically averaged $1,800 have reached an estimated $6,000 to $8,000 in parts of Asia due to the war in Iran.
The company said it sought to reduce fuel consumption by slowing the itinerary and spending more time in port, but was unable to offset the surging costs, according to AP.
It added that it was working with passengers to arrange temporary accommodation while exploring options to restructure its finances over the next 60 days.
“Extraordinary increases in fuel costs have placed our current operating model under unsustainable financial pressure,” the company said in a statement on its website, The Guardian reported. “We are working with residents to coordinate disembarkation and temporary living arrangements, and are supporting residents, crew, and employees as we evaluate restructuring and recapitalization alternatives over the next 60 days.”
The ship remains docked at the Cambodian port of Sihanoukville, a once-sleepy beach town that has gained global notoriety in recent years as a hub for Chinese casinos and scam centres, according to the BBC.
A departure date remains unclear.
About the Villa Vie Odyssey
The nearly 200-metre-long ship, which can carry up to 650 passengers, left Belfast on October 1, 2024, for a voyage around the world. The trip was planned to last three-and-a-half years and cover nearly 150 countries.
However, its departure was delayed by repair work, leaving passengers stuck in Belfast for months and costing the company millions of pounds, according to BBC.
The ship had been more than 750 days into its world voyage when it announced on Tuesday that the journey was being suspended, leaving passengers stranded in Cambodia.
The ship was marketed as a way to combine long-term living at sea with global travel. Its operator offered passengers the chance to “make the Odyssey your permanent home”, with lifetime suites starting at around $230,000.
‘We were heartbroken,’ say passengers aboard the ship
Those on the ship had hoped to sail for years to come.
Passengers Lanette Canen and Johan Bodin told the BBC they were informed by Villa Vie Residences' chief executive at 6am on Tuesday that they had to leave the ship by 2pm.
The couple said passengers had been aware of the company's financial troubles for some time. A potential investor had visited the ship to conduct due diligence, but the deal ultimately fell through.
“Even then, we were still hoping a miracle investor would come through,” they said. “Although there were signs that this would happen, we still felt disbelief when it became real. We were heartbroken. It felt like our dream had been crushed.”
“There have been a lot of hugs and tears as residents support one another and process what has happened,” they added.
Another passenger, Holly Hennessey, said passengers had earlier been asked to consider paying an additional fuel surcharge as global prices rose. She added that the ship's itinerary had also been “severely curtailed”, according to BBC.
Some passengers were forced to leave cabins they had purchased for long-term living. Carol Larson, 69, had lived on the ship for 18 months with her sister, Crystal Lavering, 72, she told the Associated Press. Larson, who is from California, said she hoped the journey could still be salvaged, as living at sea had improved her health.
Larson told the outlet that she had bought her cabin for $120,000, paying in installments, along with additional monthly maintenance fees. The programme offered her the option of living aboard the ship for up to 15 years, according to The Guardian.
Larson blamed Donald Trump for the war on Iran, which had driven up fuel costs and contributed to the suspension. Despite the problems, she said she did not regret her investment.
“Because it was a startup company, I believe that it was a risk,” she said. “From the very first day, I said to myself that if it lasts a year, I can walk away and feel like I got my money’s worth … I still feel that way. I feel blessed to have been part of the experiment of residential cruising.”
In 2024, days after Donald Trump won a second term as US president, Villa Vie Residences announced a four-year “Skip Forward” package.
The company’s CEO told Fox Business at the time that it was the “perfect product for those who said they’d leave the country if ‘XYZ’ wins the election”.
(With inputs from BBC, AP, Guardian)
