Villa Vie Odyssey Halts Cambodia Voyage, Leaving Residents Without Their Homes

The Villa Vie Odyssey was not simply carrying holidaymakers. Passengers had bought cabins to live aboard while travelling the world, according to NBC News.

The ship set sail two years ago on a three-year voyage to seven continents. It was marketed as a combination of long-term living at sea and global travel, NPR reported. Residential cabins were offered for hundreds of thousands of dollars, according to the Sydney Morning Herald.

On October 27, the residential cruise ship halted operations in Cambodia amid soaring fuel costs. Its U.S. operator ordered passengers to disembark, NBC News reported.

The company also announced that it was pursuing restructuring and recapitalization, according to the coverage carried by NBC News. The suspension therefore left both the voyage and residents' living arrangements unsettled.

By October 28, CNA reported that more than 200 passengers were leaving the Odyssey in Sihanoukville. For those who had made the vessel their residence, disembarking meant losing access to their homes, rather than simply ending a trip early.

NDTV reported that the ship carried 203 passengers of 15 nationalities, mostly Americans, and 156 crew members. The vessel had capacity for 650 residents.

The voyage remains suspended. The operator is working with passengers on "temporary living arrangements", BBC News reported on October 28.

That leaves around 200 residents needing somewhere else to live. AP News described the suspension as the loss of their homes, while the available coverage gives no confirmed date for a return to the ship or a resumption of the voyage.

The immediate issue is what temporary accommodation passengers receive and how long it will be available. BBC News reported that arrangements were being worked on, but the supplied coverage does not specify their terms or who will pay.

The other unresolved issue is whether the restructuring and recapitalization effort reported in NBC News allows operations to restart. There is no confirmed outcome for that process in the available reporting.