Iran war hits ‘cruise for life’: 200 stranded as operator runs out of money

Dubai: A dream of travelling the world aboard a floating home has ended abruptly for around 200 passengers stranded in Cambodia after soaring fuel costs linked to the Iran war forced a US-based cruise operator to suspend operations.

Some passengers had paid as much as $440,000 for permanent residences aboard the Villa Vie Odyssey, while others had sold their possessions to finance a life at sea.

But during a scheduled stop at the Cambodian port of Sihanoukville, residents were suddenly told to pack their belongings and leave the ship within hours, leaving retirees and remote workers scrambling for accommodation thousands of miles from home.

Villa Vie Residences announced on Tuesday that it had suspended operations in Cambodia because of extraordinary increases in fuel costs following the Iran war.

The company said monthly fuel expenses per cabin had surged from an average of $1,800 to between $6,000 and $8,000 in parts of Asia, making its business model financially unsustainable.

According to Long Dimanche, deputy governor of Cambodia’s Preah Sihanouk province, passengers were given just seven hours to disembark.

He said 203 guests and 156 crew members arrived aboard the Bahamas-flagged ship from Thailand on October 23 and had been scheduled to continue to Vietnam.

“The sudden order to disembark has left many retirees and remote workers homeless thousands of miles from their home countries,” he said.

Some passengers flew out of Cambodia while others remained in Sihanoukville, staying in hotels as they considered their next steps.

The 200-metre vessel was expected to refuel and leave port on October 31, although the future of its passenger operations remains uncertain.

Passengers Lanette Canen and Johan Bodin told the BBC they were informed at 6am on Tuesday that they had to leave the ship by 2pm.

The couple said residents had been aware of the company’s financial difficulties, but continued hoping an investor would rescue the voyage.

“Although there were signs that this would happen, we still felt disbelief when it became real. We were heartbroken. It felt like our dream had been crushed,” they said.

“There have been a lot of hugs and tears as residents support one another and process what has happened.”

Despite the abrupt ending, the couple said their experience aboard the Odyssey had been worthwhile.

“We loved our two years on Odyssey — the adventures, the places we visited and the friends we made along the way,” they told the BBC.

They planned to remain briefly in Cambodia before travelling elsewhere in Southeast Asia.

Another passenger, Holly Hennessey, said she intended to stay in Cambodia in the hope that the ship would eventually resume sailing.

“Until they say we are done — done done — I am not giving up,” she told the BBC.

The Villa Vie Odyssey departed Belfast in October 2024 on an ambitious continuous voyage around the world.

The planned three-and-a-half-year journey was intended to cover nearly 150 countries, offering passengers the opportunity to purchase or rent cabins as permanent homes.

According to the BBC, permanent residences cost between $120,000 and $440,000, while rental cabins were available from $3,500 a month.

The ship offered restaurants, bars, a swimming pool deck and recreational facilities, including a pickleball court.

However, the voyage encountered difficulties from the outset.

Its departure from Belfast was delayed by four months because of repairs, while passenger numbers never reached the vessel’s capacity of 650.

Cruise blogger and passenger Randy Cassingham said occupancy peaked at around 350 residents.

He accused the company of failing to adequately assist passengers after ordering them to disembark.

Villa Vie Residences said the sharp increase in fuel prices had overwhelmed efforts to keep the voyage financially viable.

The company had already slowed its itinerary and extended stays in ports to reduce fuel consumption, but the savings proved insufficient.

“The company cannot simply pass increases of that scale on to residents, and the resulting shortfall has placed its current operating model under unsustainable financial pressure,” it said.

The operator announced plans to spend the next 60 days restructuring its finances and seeking fresh investment, while acknowledging that a successful outcome was not guaranteed.

It said it was working with residents to coordinate disembarkation and identify temporary living arrangements.

For passengers who had invested their savings in the promise of a permanent home at sea, the suspension has created uncertainty over their accommodation, finances and future travel plans.

Yet some remain hopeful that the Odyssey will eventually sail again.

As Hennessey put it, returning to ordinary life after experiencing the freedom of living at sea would be difficult.

“Cambodia’s not the worst place to hang out,” she said.

-- With inputs from AFP