Over 200 Residents Disembark As Villa Vie Odyssey Leaves Cambodia With Only Crew On Board After Fuel Cost Surge

On November 4, the residential cruise ship Villa Vie Odyssey departed the Cambodian port of Sihanoukville without any passengers, having already left with over 200 residents days prior. The vessel, operated by Florida-based Villa Vie Residences, was carrying 203 passengers and 156 crew members when it arrived in Sihanoukville on October 23 from Thailand. Around 50 crew members remained on board when the ship left, while others had already departed by air.

The decision to disembark the passengers came days after the company cited "extraordinary increases" in fuel costs linked to the Iran conflict, making the ship's operating model unsustainable. Villa Vie Residences had previously mentioned its monthly fuel expenditure of around $1,800 per cabin, which had risen to between $6,000 and $8,000 per cabin in certain Asian regions.

Passengers were given only a few hours' notice to leave the ship, some with as little as seven hours. Many had invested substantial sums in the ship, treating it as their permanent home. Some passengers traveled by air to other destinations, while around 100 remained in Cambodia following the suspension. The crew had already left the vessel by air before the passengers disembarked.

The ship, originally built in 1993, began its around-the-world voyage in October 2024, having been at sea for approximately 755 days by the time operations were suspended. It had been marketed as a floating residential community, with residents able to purchase or lease cabins for long-term stays. The Odyssey's departure has raised questions about the future of the residential cruise venture, with its lender taking possession of the ship and a failed attempt at a buyout.