Cruise ship halts world tour over fuel costs, disembarks passengers in Cambodia

U.S.-based Villa Vie Residences halted the MV Odyssey’s world tour in Cambodia because of rising fuel costs following the Iran war and asked the ship’s 203 passengers to disembark.

Florida-based Villa Vie Residences halted the world tour of the MV Odyssey, which was visiting all seven continents, at Cambodia’s Sihanoukville Port. Cambodian officials said the ship had 203 passengers, most of them Americans, and 156 crew members on board.

In a statement, the company said, "We can no longer continue to absorb the operating losses that have emerged," adding that passing on the full increase to residents was not a realistic solution. According to the company, the average monthly fuel cost per cabin rose from $1,800 to between $6,000 and $8,000 in parts of Asia.

Kamboçya'daki Sihanoukville Limanı (arşiv)

Diesel prices in the United States rose from $3.76 per gallon on February 27, a day before the Iran war began, to $6.52 at the end of September. The restriction of traffic in the Strait of Hormuz during the war narrowed fuel supplies, particularly in Southeast Asia.

The journey, which began in Belfast, Northern Ireland, in October 2024 and was planned to last approximately three and a half years, was marketed as long-term life at sea. Passenger Randy Cassingham wrote that the company was "absolutely doing nothing" and had not even provided them with a list of hotels. The company said it was trying to arrange temporary accommodation together with the residents.

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