English
A luxury cruise ship that abruptly stranded more than 200 long-term residents at a Cambodian port has now departed, carrying only crew members. The Villa Vie Odyssey left Sihanoukville on Tuesday with around 50 staff on board and no passengers, after its Florida-based operator suspended operations due to soaring fuel costs linked to the war in Iran.
Passengers Left Behind in Cambodia
Taing Sochitkrishna, head of the Sihanoukville tourism department, confirmed the departure to Reuters. He said approximately 100 passengers remained in Cambodia at the time the ship left. Most others had already flown to destinations elsewhere in the region.
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Before the vessel departed, passengers collected their remaining belongings on Tuesday. Many said they did not expect to return to the ship. “There are still many things on the ship that I wish I could take with me,” said Shirine Thomas, of Wilmington, North Carolina, speaking to Reuters shortly after retrieving her final possessions.
The cruise had been at sea for 755 days when Villa Vie Residences halted the voyage. At that point, 203 passengers were on board. The ship offered long-term and permanent cabin residences, with suite purchase prices starting at $230,000, according to the Associated Press. Most passengers were American.
Fuel Costs Behind the Sudden Halt
The operator cited sharply rising fuel costs as the reason for suspending the journey. In a press release, Villa Vie Residences said monthly costs per cabin had jumped from $1,800 to an estimated $6,000 to $8,000. The company attributed the increase to the war in Iran, which has reduced traffic through the Strait of Hormuz and strained petroleum supply chains across Southeast Asia.
The company said it could not pass those costs on to passengers through rate increases. As a result, continuing the voyage became financially unviable.
Passengers Report Lack of Communication
Although the operator promised to support stranded passengers with temporary accommodations, some said they received no assistance. Mary Ann Demsar, a 67-year-old retired high school teacher from Ontario, Canada, told Reuters that the company had provided little information about the voyage’s future.
“We don’t get any clear indication from the owners of Villa Vie as to what is happening,” she said. “They’ve been so quiet. The only information we get is from the wonderful government and the representatives here in Cambodia.”
Demsar also told NBC News that she remained in Cambodia with other passengers as they watched the ship leave port on Tuesday. She added that she had heard rumours the vessel was heading to Singapore, though Villa Vie Residences has not confirmed the ship’s final destination.
The Villa Vie Odyssey had a passenger capacity of 650 and carried 156 crew members during its voyage. The ship had been at sea for over two years before docking in Sihanoukville last week and suspending all operations.
