Villa Vie suspends Odyssey cruise operations, disembarks residents in Cambodia

Villa Vie Residences has suspended operations of its residential cruise ship Odyssey in Cambodia, requiring about 200 residents to disembark in Sihanoukville as the company seeks financing and restructures its operations.

The company attributed the suspension to steep increases in fuel costs. It said monthly fuel expenses per cabin had risen from an average of about $1,800 to an estimated $6,000 to $8,000 in parts of Asia, placing its operating model under unsustainable financial pressure. Founder Mikael Petterson said Villa Vie was covering lodging and local transportation for residents but had not provided money for them to leave Cambodia.

Long Dimanche, deputy governor of Preah Sihanouk province, said 203 guests and 156 crew arrived from Thailand on Oct. 23 and had been scheduled to continue to Vietnam. Passengers were given seven hours to pack and leave the ship, he said. Some have since flown out, while others remain in Sihanoukville.

Passenger Holly Hennessey told RTÉ that the company had run out of money and that residents were waiting to learn whether an investor or resident-led ownership group could finance continued operations. She said earlier efforts to raise fuel funding included a loan program and a surcharge that only 37% of residents paid.

The 650-passenger Odyssey began its continuous world voyage from Belfast in October 2024 after a four-month delay for repairs. Cambodian officials said the Bahamas-flagged ship was expected to refuel and depart on Oct. 31, though residents’ future travel plans remained unresolved.