200 cruise ship passengers stranded in Cambodia

Around 200 passengers aboard the 200m Odyssey cruise ship found themselves stranded in Sihanoukville, Cambodia, after their operator, Villa Vie Residences, ran out of funds. The ship, operated by Villa Vie Residences and owned by Villa Vie Residences, had been on a continuous voyage since October 2024, with passengers able to purchase or rent rooms for either a holiday or a lifelong residence.

However, the ship's sudden disembarkation order left many retirees and remote workers without a place to call home, thousands of miles away from their native countries.

Long Dimanche, deputy governor of Preah Sihanouk province, revealed that the 203 guests and 156 crew members arrived in the Cambodian port from Thailand on October 23 and were supposed to continue their journey to Vietnam. The abrupt order to disembark has left many passengers homeless, with some choosing to fly out while others remained in the city.

Randy Cassingham, a passenger and blogger, attributed the ship's unexpected disembarkation to a series of problems. The Belfast launch was delayed by four months, and the ship never reached its full capacity of 650 residents, peaking at around 350. The company started begging for money, and fuel expenses skyrocketed from an average of US$1,800 per cabin to between US$6,000 and US$8,000 in parts of Asia.

The operator stated that they couldn't simply pass on these increases to residents, leading to a financial crisis for the company.

Cassingham accused Villa Vie Residences of doing nothing to help stranded passengers. The company acknowledged the difficult situation and pledged to work with residents, crew members, and employees to coordinate disembarkation and identify temporary living arrangements. Villa Vie Residences assured that they are committed to supporting those affected as plans develop.