Photo: Collected
Singapore authorities have seized the cruise ship ‘The Odyssey’ on a court order. This is the same ship that dropped its passengers off in Cambodia after running into financial trouble midway through a world voyage. The country’s port authority said the ship is now anchored in Singapore port waters.
The voyage began in October 2024 from Belfast in Northern Ireland. Passengers on the cruise, run by US-based company Villa Vie Residences, were supposed to visit 150 countries over three and a half years. But when the company suspended operations last month, citing an abnormal rise in fuel costs, about 200 passengers had to leave the ship at Cambodia’s Sihanoukville port.
According to Singapore’s port authority, the seafarers and crew on board are well; the ship’s lenders have taken responsibility for looking after them and for necessary management. Singaporean law firm Helmsman LLC has been appointed as lawyers for the seizure. However, it is not clear which party the firm is acting for.
The operating company had offered passengers several kinds of accommodation. Some could buy a cabin and live on board permanently, some could take a five-year residence, and there was also the option of renting a cabin for a few days. According to the company’s website, permanent ownership of a cabin cost between $120,000 and $440,000; monthly rent started at $3,500.
The cruise was plagued by problems from the start. Repairs and paperwork complications delayed the voyage by four months. US media outlet CBS News reported that while the ship was in Vietnam, the crew had to buy food from local shops because suppliers’ dues had not been paid.
The company told passengers about its financial crisis last August while the ship was in Singapore. Money had to be raised from passengers too to keep the cruise going. As fuel prices rose, passengers were also asked for extra money, while the itinerary was cut back considerably.
In a statement on 27 October, Villa Vie Residences said the monthly fuel cost per cabin in some parts of Asia had risen from $1,800 to $8,000. Despite various cost-cutting measures, the situation could not be managed. The company is also working to arrange alternative temporary accommodation for passengers stranded in Cambodia.
Background
According to shipping news outlet Baird Maritime, after the lender took possession of the ship, the Odyssey left Cambodia for Singapore at around midnight local time on Wednesday, 4 November.
By the numbers
According to cruise website Cruise Mummy, 203 residents were ordered to leave the ship at Sihanoukville on 27 October.
At a glance
Baird Maritime reported that the 24,344-gross-ton ship was built in Spain, entered service in 1993 and once sailed as Fred. Olsen Cruises’ ‘Braemar’. According to CBS News, Villa Vie Residences bought the ship in 2023.
Sources
Background sources: Baird Maritime, November 2026; Cruise Mummy, October-November 2026; CBS News, 4 November 2026
