World Cruise Halted by Fuel Crisis: 203 Residents Forced Off Ship in Cambodia

A residential cruise ship that promised passengers a lifetime at sea has halted its voyage midway after soaring fuel costs made the journey too expensive to continue, its operator Villa Vie Residences has said.

A total of 203 residents were forced to leave the ship in the Cambodian port city of Sihanoukville. The Villa Vie Odyssey had set sail from Belfast, Northern Ireland, two years ago on what was supposed to be a three-and-a-half-year journey around the world.

Mikael Petterson, the company's founder and executive chairman, told Business Insider: 'I feel awful. They're counting on me to make the decisions here, and there's nothing else I'm focused on. I'm the villain in the story, but I'm doing everything I can to support the residents with a solution.'

Captain Emanuele Giudice said on Thursday that, due to the shortage of fuel, the crew had needed to shut down one generator, a chiller and non-essential lights. As Reuters reported, he said the shutdowns would have created discomfort for the residents, so residents were kindly asked to get off the ship because the fuel situation was critical. He described the ordeal as 'really painful'.

There are conflicting accounts of the notice given. Giudice said residents were given more than 24 hours' notice to leave. But passengers previously told the Associated Press they received just seven hours' notice and had to make their own accommodation arrangements.

Giudice blamed high fuel prices, saying they had significantly affected the ship's travel. He declined to comment when a reporter asked whether the war in the Middle East and President Donald Trump were responsible.

Villa Vie Residences had offered lifetime access to the ship through its 'Endless Horizons' program for a one-time payment of $299,999 for a single-occupancy cabin or $499,999 for double occupancy, Fox Business reported in May 2024. Some residents had paid hundreds of thousands of dollars for the chance to live aboard.

Paul and Lynn Montoya, a retired couple from Wyoming, told AP they were repeatedly asked for fuel money every two to four weeks. 'We had hopes, but they just kept sinking further and further into the hole,' Lynn Montoya said.

Benjamin Schatz, a retiree who had hoped to make the Odyssey his forever home, told CBS News he was devastated after being forced to leave: 'Honestly, right now, I'm in denial and in shock, and I'm heartbroken.' He added: 'There are people now who are homeless and who have very little money and don't know what they're going to do.'

The company had marketed life aboard the Odyssey as an alternative to traditional retirement, appealing to retirees concerned about inflation, rising living expenses and the possibility of outliving their savings. Petterson had promoted it by saying: 'For less than the price of an average home, you can secure a lifetime of experiences.'

After the voyage was suspended earlier this week, the ship's 203 residents now face an uncertain future.