Cruise ship leaves 200 passengers stranded in Cambodia after operator runs out of money

Sihanoukville: Around 200 passengers who paid to travel the world aboard a cruise ship have been left stranded in Cambodia after its operator ran out of money. However, one passenger has told AFP he would sign up for the experience again despite the abrupt end to the voyage.

US-based operator Villa Vie Residences announced on Tuesday that it was suspending operations of the Odyssey, two years after the ship began its journey. The company cited “extraordinary increases” in fuel costs following the Iran war.

The cruise had been marketed as an affordable way to travel continuously around the world, allowing residents to buy or rent cabins for a holiday or even for life. Some passengers sold their possessions to finance the experience.

However, passengers were reportedly given just seven hours to pack their belongings and disembark during a scheduled stop at the Cambodian port of Sihanoukville on Tuesday, according to local authorities.

American passenger Randy Cassingham and his wife, Kit, had been aboard the ship since it departed from Belfast in October 2024. The couple spent around $1 million on the all-inclusive voyage, which they had hoped would continue for at least 15 years.

“It was great, for a while,” Cassingham told AFP by telephone from his hotel in Sihanoukville.

The couple enjoy travelling but dislike airports and airlines, he said. Living aboard the ship allowed them to unpack once, sleep in their own bed every night and wake up in a different destination every few days.

“Cambodia is our 65th country in two years. It was brilliant,” he said.

Villa Vie said the monthly fuel expenditure per cabin had risen from an average of $1,800 to an estimated $6,000 to $8,000 in parts of Asia.

“The company cannot simply pass increases of that scale on to residents, and the resulting shortfall has placed its current operating model under unsustainable financial pressure,” the operator said in a statement.

Passengers left thousands of miles from home

The 200-metre (656-foot) ship arrived in Sihanoukville from Thailand on Friday, carrying 203 guests and 156 crew members, according to Long Dimanche, deputy governor of Preah Sihanouk province.

In a statement, Dimanche said some passengers had flown out of Cambodia, while others remained in Sihanoukville. The ship was scheduled to refuel and depart on Saturday.

“The sudden order to disembark has left many retirees and remote workers homeless thousands of miles from their home countries,” he said.

Cassingham said he and his wife had planned to remain in Thailand until the situation was resolved. He had recently received cancer treatment there, but the ship continued to Sihanoukville.

The couple hope to return to Thailand, but Cassingham said the experience had left him without regrets.

“But money aside, it was a fantastic adventure,” he said.

“If they can restart we will consider going back.”

However, he accused the company of doing “absolutely nothing” to assist passengers left without accommodation. According to Cassingham, they were driven into the town centre and left without even a list of hotels.

Villa Vie did not respond to an AFP request for comment. In its statement, however, the company said it was “working with residents to coordinate disembarkation and identify temporary living arrangements”.

“Villa Vie Residences recognises that this is a difficult and disruptive period for residents, crew members, and employees, and is working to support those affected as plans develop,” it said.