OMM Newsroom
The Odyssey, a cruise ship whose passengers were left stranded in Cambodia after its US-based operator ran out of money, has been seized in Singapore, according to the BBC.
Singapore court records show the vessel was placed under arrest on Sunday morning. Local port authorities said it was anchored in Singapore port waters.
About 200 guests were forced to leave the ship last month in the Cambodian port city of Sihanoukville after its owner, “Villa Vie Residences”, abruptly suspended operations, citing “extraordinary increases in fuel costs”.
The crew aboard the vessel were reported to be well, Singapore’s port authority said. The AFP news agency quoted the authority as saying that creditors were managing arrangements for the crew’s welfare. There were no passengers on board, it added.
Singapore law firm “Helmsman LLC” has been named as the arresting solicitor, but it is unclear which party the firm represents.
“The Odyssey” departed Belfast in October 2024 for a planned three-and-a-half-year voyage covering 150 countries. Passengers could buy a cabin outright and remain aboard beyond the initial voyage, pay for five-year residency, or rent a cabin for shorter tours.
Permanent cabin residencies were priced from $120,000 (£89,272) to $440,000. Cabins were also available to rent for $3,500 a month, according to the company’s website.
“For roughly the price of a car, you can own your home on a ship that travels the world,” the company’s founder, Mikael Petterson, previously said.
The cruise encountered problems from the outset, with its departure delayed by four months because of repairs and paperwork. In Vietnam, crew members reportedly bought food at local grocery stores because the company owed money to a vendor that refused to make deliveries, CBS News, the BBC’s US partner, reported.
CBS News also reported that the operator warned passengers about its financial difficulties in August, when the ship had sailed to Singapore on a separate occasion. The company had to raise money from guests to keep the cruise operating and had also mentioned the risk of being detained.
Passenger Holly Hennessey previously told the BBC that guests were asked to consider paying a fuel surcharge as prices rose, and that their itinerary had been “severely curtailed”.
The vessel sailed into Singapore again earlier this month, weeks after the cruise abruptly ended in Cambodia.
In a statement on 27 October, “Villa Vie Residences” said that, as the Iran war sent fuel prices soaring earlier this year, monthly fuel costs per cabin in parts of Asia had risen to as much as $8,000 from $1,800.
The company said it had taken “significant steps to reduce fuel consumption”, but those measures were insufficient to offset the “extraordinary increase in fuel costs”. It also said it was working with residents to “identify temporary living arrangements” in Cambodia.
