Sihanoukville (Cambodia) (AFP) – Around 200 passengers who paid to live on a cruise ship while travelling the world were abruptly left in a Cambodian port after the company ran out of money, an official said on Wednesday. US-based operator Villa Vie Residences announced on Tuesday it had “suspended operations in Cambodia” as it worked to address “extraordinary increases” in fuel costs following the Iran war.
The 200-metre (656-foot) Odyssey left Northern Ireland in October 2024 for a continuous voyage for which residents could buy or rent rooms for a holiday or for life — some passengers selling everything they had to pay for it. However, passengers were given just seven hours to pack their bags and leave during a scheduled stop in the Cambodian port of Sihanoukville, according to Long Dimanche, deputy governor of Preah Sihanouk province.
He said in a statement 203 guests and 156 crew had arrived aboard the Bahamas-flagged ship from Thailand on October 23, and had been due to go 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, he said, adding that the ship itself was due to refuel and leave on October 31.
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 its Belfast launch was delayed by four months, while the ship never reached its capacity of 650 residents, peaking at around 350. He said it was not a “luxury” ship but affordable — until the company started “begging for money”.
Villa Vie said in its statement 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,” it 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,” it said.
© 2024 AFP
