Stranded U.S. cruise ship leaves Cambodia with no passengers

A U.S. cruise ship that forced each its passengers to disembark successful Cambodia aft suspending its operations past week has departed the Southeast Asian federation with lone unit aboard, Cambodian officials said Wednesday.

The MV Odyssey, owned by Florida-based Villa Vie Residences, had been connected an around-the-world cruise erstwhile it suspended its planned three-year voyage owed to the crisp emergence successful substance costs.

It had been docked for a scheduled halt astatine the Cambodian larboard of Sihanoukville connected the Gulf of Thailand, erstwhile connected Oct. 28 its 203 passengers were abruptly told they had to disembark wrong a fewer hours.

The vessel near Sihanoukville precocious Tuesday with lone unit and different unit connected board, said Tang Sochetkresna, manager of the Tourism Department of Preah Sihanouk province. He said helium didn't cognize the ship's adjacent destination, but aggregate sources acquainted with the substance antecedently told CBS News the vessel volition beryllium moved to Singapore, wherever it could yet beryllium auctioned off.

The cruise vessel is present nether control of its lender, according to a connection sent to residents and obtained by CBS News.  Company leadership, however, said they're optimistic they tin get the vessel backmost — if they find an operational partner. 

"This is simply a 30- to 90-day process, and, during that process, we person clip to get a restructure done," Mike Petterson, the company's laminitis and enforcement chairman, told CBS News.

Sochetkresna said that astir 100 passengers remained successful Sihanoukville, portion others were visiting different parts of Cambodia oregon had traveled connected to different countries. Most of the ship's passengers were Americans.

The ship, with its 650-passenger capacity, had 156 unit members connected board, but it was not wide however galore departed with the ship.

There has been nary authoritative announcement of aboriginal plans for the cruise ship. Media reports suggested that a creditor had taken implicit its absorption and was having it sailed to Singapore, Southeast Asia's main maritime hub.

The abrupt extremity to the ship's voyage has drawn wide attraction due to the fact that it had touted itself arsenic a floating home, combining semipermanent surviving astatine oversea with planetary travel.

Several passengers said they had paid much than $300,000 for a suite for the beingness of the vessel.

Villa Vie Residences said monthly substance expenses per compartment that historically averaged $1,800 person reached an estimated $6,000 to $8,000 successful parts of Asia owed to the warfare successful Iran.

The institution said it sought to trim substance depletion by slowing the itinerary and spending much clip successful port, but was incapable to offset the surging costs.

Internal communications reviewed by CBS News showed the vessel was successful financial distress for astatine slightest 3 months anterior to Cambodia. Now, further documents amusement that the institution had a consciousness of urgency successful getting much residents to supply adjacent much funds. 

During a gathering that took spot successful aboriginal August, the institution wrote successful an interior PowerPoint presentation: "A important caller enactment of enquiry is the request to separate existent inability to lend from unwillingness to lend further."

Traffic has been curtailed successful the Strait of Hormuz since the war successful Iran began, squeezing supplies of each kinds of petroleum-based fuels, particularly successful Southeast Asia, and sharply expanding prices.

Passengers had said the institution had been asking them for respective months for contributions to support the vessel operating, and determination has been an progressive statement connected societal media implicit whether its cognition was ever financially viable.

Built successful 1993 and operated nether antithetic names by respective cruise lines implicit the years earlier the COVID-19 pandemic, the Odyssey was bought by Villa Vie Residences successful 2023.

Its existent cruise began successful October 2024 successful Belfast, Northern Ireland, wherever the vessel had been refitted. A 2nd cruise, on with the acquisition of a 2nd vessel to run successful a akin capacity, had already been planned.

Cristian Benavides contributed to this report.

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• Cruise Ship
• Cambodia