203 Passengers Stranded as Residential Cruise Halts Operations

The Odyssey, a residential cruise ship, suspended operations in Cambodia on Tuesday, leaving 203 passengers ashore as fuel costs rose sharply. The vessel, which measures 642 feet, had been in operation for three years before the sudden halt forced residents to disembark. A Cambodian official confirmed the number of people on board, which also included 156 crew members.

Villa Vie Residences, the Florida-based company operating the ship, issued a statement explaining that the move was necessary due to the increased cost of fuel. The company noted that while it had taken steps to reduce consumption, these measures were not enough to offset the price hikes. Global oil prices have climbed to their highest levels in months following the war with Iran that began earlier this year, which disrupted global fuel flows.

Long Dimanche, the vice governor of Preah Sihanouk Province, told media outlets that the ship is scheduled to refuel before leaving Cambodia on Saturday. Some passengers have already departed via commercial flights, while others remain waiting in the port city of Sihanoukville. The company stated that it is currently identifying temporary housing for those who were living aboard the vessel.

Mikael Petterson, an executive at Villa Vie Residences, declined to provide additional details in an email to NBC News. In a statement earlier this year, Petterson announced that The Odyssey was 85% sold out. He previously described the ship's mission as a demonstration that residential cruising was both possible and sustainable. The company is now focusing on supporting residents, crew, and employees while it works toward a restructuring and recapitalization process expected to take the next 60 days.

Randy Cassingham, a resident who runs ResidentialCruising.com, learned of the halt after a company official posted a note on the ship's message board just after 7 a.m. on Monday. The note informed residents that the ship would enter a temporary mooring and that everyone must disembark by 2 p.m. Cassingham attributed the situation to a cascade of problems that he plans to detail later.

Pamela Reckamp, 59, who rented a cabin with her husband and disembarked this month, said she was not surprised by the ending. She recalled a meeting in early September where a company official asked cabin owners to help raise $1 million to leave Ha Long Bay, Vietnam. The official warned that without the funds, the ship had only four days of fuel left. Reckamp noted that another resident at a later meeting revealed she had sold her house and car to buy a cabin on the ship, unaware of the financial difficulties.

A lawsuit filed last year by a company that purchased a cabin for $469,000 alleges that Villa Vie Residences committed fraud by misrepresenting its financial stability. The plaintiffs describe the business model as precarious and are seeking a jury trial and unspecified damages exceeding $100,000. Villa Vie Residences denied the accusations, and the case remains pending. Other cabins were available for as little as $119,000, according to company materials from 2024.