VILLA VIE SUSPENDS ODYSSEY VOYAGE IN CAMBODIA

Villa Vie Residences has suspended MV Odyssey’s three-year world voyage in Sihanoukville, Cambodia, and told passengers to leave the ship. Passengers received seven hours’ notice to disembark with their belongings on 26 October. In a message to passengers, chief executive Kathy Villaba said: “Unfortunately, we were unable to secure the fuel necessary to continue operations.” Cambodian officials said the ship carried 203 passengers, mostly Americans, and 156 crew members.

The voyage began two years ago with plans to visit seven continents; Villa Vie offered lifetime suites starting at around $130,000. Randy Cassingham, who was travelling with his wife Kit, said Villa Vie had provided shuttles from the cargo port into town but had offered no help finding or paying for accommodation. Cassingham said he planned to return to Thailand, where he had received cancer treatment. Passengers Lanette Canen and Johan Bodin said they had repeatedly heard that Villa Vie was running out of cash during the two months before the suspension, and that plans to secure investors had fallen through.

Villa Vie attributed the suspension to fuel costs it said had quadrupled since the war in Iran began. The company said it had slowed the itinerary and spent longer in port to reduce fuel use, but those measures had not covered rising costs linked to the closure of the Strait of Hormuz. Founder Mikael Petterson said residents had objected to a proposal for an extra $500 a month plus a fuel surcharge. Villa Vie said it intended to seek further investment over the next 60 days.