A luxury tourist ship that had launched a several-year trip around the world has suspended navigation due to extraordinary fuel costs increase, leaving passengers stranded in Cambodia.
American company Villa Vie Residences, ship operator Villa View Odyssey said she is co-operating with passengers to organise the landing and provide temporary accommodation.
It is not known exactly how many were on board, but the ship, nearly 200 feet [200 m] long, has the capacity for up to 650 passengers. She left Belfast in October 2024 with a view to crossing the world on a continuous journey.
According to the company, the monthly cost of cabin fuel in parts of Asia has increased to $8,000, up from about $1,800 earlier. The rise in fuel prices in global markets has come after the start of the Iran war earlier this year.
The operator said he has taken measures to reduce consumption, including slowing the route and staying longer in ports. However, these measures did not suffice to compensate for the tremendous increase in expenses.
The passage of all this cost increases to the ship’s inhabitants is not a realistic solution, the company said, broadcast Telegrafi.
She announced that the next 60 days will be dedicated to restructuring and securing new capital, but warned there is no guarantee of the outcome of this process.
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The journey of Vila View Odyssey was scheduled to last three and a half years and include some 150 countries. Prior to the departure, the project had faced delays because of ship repairs, leaving passengers stranded for months at Belfast and costing the company millions of pounds.
The ship had spent more than 750 days on travel around the world when the company announced on Tuesday the suspension of navigation. According to Bloomberg, about 200 passengers were on board when they were instructed to land in Cambodia, citing the company’s founder.
One of the passengers, Holly Hennessey, told the Cambodian BBC that he had not imagined he would spend so much time in this country. She indicated that passengers have been distributed to various hotels and are waiting to learn what will happen next.
The ship is equipped with several bars and restaurants, a swimming pool and a field for biteballs. The permanent housing booths are sold at prices of between $140,000 and $40,000, while they can be rented from $3,500 a month.
Last year, the company presented a program that enabled customers to obtain a life on board, particularly targeting those who wanted to spend their retirement years at sea.
In 2024, a few days after Donald Trump won his second presidential mandate, the company also promoted a four – year package called the Skip Forward. The executive director had described it as an opportunity for people who had said they would leave the US if elections were won by a certain candidate.
Hennessey said passengers were asked earlier to consider paying an additional fee for fuel, while the route was significantly cut. Some of them had decided to leave the ship and continue their journey on land.
However, Hennessey and several other passengers have decided to stay in Cambodia, hoping that the ship will resume navigation.
Until they tell us that everything is finally over, I will not give up. I can’t repeat this way of life anywhere else. The idea of returning home would be so common, she said, adding that Cambodia is not the worst place to wait. /Telegraphy/