Residential cruise ship Odyssey halts operations in Cambodia over fuel costs, passengers told to leave

Florida-based Villa Vie Residences suspended operations of its residential cruise ship The Odyssey in Cambodia on Tuesday, citing soaring fuel costs, and ordered passengers to disembark. The company said monthly fuel expense per cabin, historically about $1,800, has reached an estimated $6,000 to $8,000 in parts of Asia since the war with Iran began. It said slowing the itinerary and spending more time in port did not offset the increase and that passing the full cost to residents was unrealistic. Sihanoukville Autonomous Port said the ship docked Oct. 23 for a five-day visit; it carried 203 passengers of 15 nationalities, mostly American, and 156 crew, against a capacity of 650. Permanent cabins cost roughly $130,000 to $440,000, with monthly fees of $2,000 to $10,000. The company is seeking temporary housing for residents and aims to restructure and recapitalize over 60 days.

The New York Post, on the right, leads with stranded passengers who "just lost their homes," and stresses the port statement, the passenger and crew counts, the company's admission it could not keep absorbing losses, and that its statement ignored a second ship planned for early 2029. NBC News, on the left, frames the story as passengers being "kicked off" and ties it to the Iran war's disruption of global oil flows, while noting it is unclear how many were aboard and that executive Mikael Petterson declined to give details. Both quote the company's line on passing costs to residents. ZeroHedge adds marine fuel price figures and a claimed 300% rise.