SIHANOUKVILLE, Cambodia – Around 200 passengers who paid to live aboard a cruise ship while travelling the world found themselves stranded in a Cambodian port after their company ran out of cash.
US-based operator Villa Vie Residences announced on Tuesday it had suspended operations in Cambodia as it struggled to cope with extraordinary increases in fuel costs following the Iran war.
The company gave passengers just seven hours to pack their bags and leave during a scheduled stop in the port of Sihanoukville, according to Long Dimanche, deputy governor of Preah Sihanouk province.
A dream turned nightmare
The 200 m Odyssey left Northern Ireland in October 2024 for a continuous voyage where residents could buy or rent rooms for a holiday or for life. Some passengers sold everything they owned to pay for the experience.
Dimanche said 203 guests and 156 crew arrived aboard the Bahamas-flagged ship from Thailand on 23 October. The ship was due to sail on to Vietnam.
“The sudden order to disembark has left many retirees and remote workers homeless thousands of miles from their home countries,” he said.
Some passengers took flights out while others remained in the city. The ship itself was due to refuel and leave on 31 October.
Cascade of problems
Randy Cassingham, a passenger on board who runs a cruise blog, wrote that the disembarkation order followed a “cascade of problems”.
Under a post entitled “Abandon Ship!”, he said the Belfast launch was delayed by four months. The ship never reached its capacity of 650 residents, peaking at around 350.
He said the ship was not a “luxury” vessel but affordable – until the company started “begging for money”.
Fuel costs triple
Villa Vie said in its statement that per-cabin monthly fuel expenses had gone from an average of $1 800 to an estimated $6 000 to $8 000 in parts of Asia.
“The company cannot simply pass increases of that scale on to residents, and the resulting shortfall has placed its current operating model under unsustainable financial pressure,” the company said.
Cassingham accused the company of doing “absolutely nothing to help” stranded passengers.
Villa Vie said it was working with residents to coordinate disembarkation and identify temporary living arrangements.
“Villa Vie Residences recognises that this is a difficult and disruptive period for residents, crew members, and employees, and is working to support those affected as plans develop,” the company said.
