200 Cruise Ship Passengers Stranded in Cambodia as Operator Runs Out of Money
Around 200 passengers who paid to travel the world aboard a residential cruise ship have been left stranded in Cambodia after the operator suspended operations, blaming soaring fuel costs linked to the Iran war.
The US-based company, Villa Vie Residences, announced on Tuesday that it was suspending operations of its Odyssey ship, just two years after it began its around-the-world voyage.
The cruise had been marketed as an affordable way to explore the world, allowing passengers to buy or rent cabins for extended holidays or even permanent living. Some residents reportedly sold their possessions to finance what they hoped would be a life at sea.
However, passengers were given just seven hours to pack their belongings and disembark during a scheduled stop at Cambodia’s port city of Sihanoukville, according to local authorities.
The 200-metre vessel arrived from Thailand on Friday carrying 203 guests and 156 crew members, according to Long Dimanche, deputy governor of Preah Sihanouk province.
He said some passengers had since flown out of the country, while others remained in Sihanoukville. The ship was expected to refuel and depart on Saturday.
Villa Vie said fuel expenses per cabin, which previously averaged 1,800 dollars a month, had surged to an estimated 6,000 to 8,000 dollars in parts of Asia.
The company said the increase had placed its operating model under unsustainable financial pressure, adding that it could not simply transfer the additional costs to residents.
For some passengers, the suspension has disrupted a dream that took years of planning and substantial financial investment.
American passenger Randy Cassingham and his wife, Kit, had lived aboard the ship since it departed Belfast in October 2024. The couple reportedly spent around one million dollars on an all-inclusive voyage they hoped would last at least 15 years.
Despite the abrupt disruption, Cassingham described the experience as a remarkable adventure, saying the couple had visited 65 countries in two years. He said they would consider returning if the company managed to resume operations.
However, he accused the operator of doing little to assist stranded passengers, alleging that they were taken into the city and left without even a list of available hotels.
Local authorities said the sudden disembarkation had left retirees and remote workers without accommodation thousands of miles from their home countries.
Villa Vie, meanwhile, said it was working with residents to coordinate their departure from the ship and identify temporary accommodation, acknowledging the disruption facing passengers, crew members and employees.
The suspension has cast uncertainty over the future of the residential cruise venture, leaving passengers to make new travel and accommodation arrangements while awaiting clarity on whether the voyage will resume.
