The MV Odyssey cruise ship, which forced all its residents to disembark in Cambodia due to rising fuel costs, has now left the country with only crew on board. The ship departed Sihanoukville late on Tuesday, leaving nearly 100 passengers stranded in the Cambodian port city.
Ship Departs with Crew Only
The MV Odyssey, owned by Florida-based Villa Vie Residences, allows passengers to live on the vessel permanently. It was travelling around the world when its planned three-year voyage was suspended. The ship had been docked for a scheduled stop at the Cambodian port of Sihanoukville on the Gulf of Thailand when, on October 28, its 203 passengers were suddenly told they had to disembark within a few hours.
Tang Sochetkresna, director of the Tourism Department of Preah Sihanouk province, said the ship left Sihanoukville late on Tuesday with only crew and other personnel on board. He said he didn't know the ship's next destination.
Passengers Left Behind
Nearly 100 passengers remained in Sihanoukville, according to Tang Sochetkresna, while others went on to visit other parts of Cambodia or travelled to other countries. Most of the ship's residents are Americans.
The MV Odyssey has a capacity of 650 passengers and had 156 crew members on board. It is not clear, however, how many left with the ship.
Fuel Costs and Suspension
There has been no official announcement of future plans for the cruise ship. Media reports suggested that a creditor had taken over its management and was having it sailed to Singapore, Southeast Asia's main maritime hub.
The evacuation comes as Villa Vie Residences announced on October 27 that it had suspended operations in Cambodia "as the company works to address extraordinary increases in fuel costs and evaluate restructuring and recapitalization alternatives".
A company statement reads: "Fuel costs have risen sharply in the regions where the company has been operating. On an equivalent per-cabin basis, monthly fuel expense that historically averaged approximately $1,800 has recently reached an estimated $6,000 to $8,000 in parts of Asia." The statement adds that passing the full increase on to residents is not a realistic solution and that the company is working with residents to coordinate disembarkation and identify temporary living arrangements.
Villa Vie Residences said that, since the beginning of the war in Iran, it took "significant steps to reduce fuel consumption", including slowing the itinerary and spending more time in ports. "Those measures have not been enough to offset the extraordinary increase in fuel costs, and we have been unable to continue carrying the resulting operating losses," it said. The company added that no financing or transaction has been finalised.
Residents' Experience
Some passengers explained they paid more than $300,000 for a suite for the lifetime of the vessel. One of the residents on the ship, Randy Cassingham, said people were given a "get off the ship order", with some choosing to remain in Cambodia and figure out their next steps, while others flew back to the US.
Mr Cassingham, who lives on the ship full-time with his wife, Kit, said they have received great support from Cambodian authorities as residents. He wrote on his blog: "The provincial governor set up a dinner where around 60 of us gathered at a hotel near the water where we could all — those of us still in town, at least — get together, perhaps for the last time." He added: "See what I mean by 'hospitality'? And it was a good meal with local flavors: fish, crab, shrimp, pork ribs, and more, with beer or other drinks as we wished. We are fine. Exhausted, but fine."
Built in 1993 and operated under different names by several cruise lines over the years before the Covid-19 pandemic, the Odyssey was bought by Villa Vie Residences in 2023. Its current cruise began in October 2024 in Belfast, Northern Ireland, where the ship had been refitted. A second cruise, along with the purchase of a second ship to operate in a similar capacity, had already been planned.
