Singapore has seized a US-operated cruise ship that offered retirees a “permanent” life at sea, but offloaded them in Cambodia after running out of money due to soaring fuel prices.
After more than 200 passengers were stranded in the Cambodian port city of Sihanoukville last month, the MV Odyssey headed to Singapore last week and was seized by authorities.
“The vessel has been placed under arrest in accordance with a court order,” the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore said in a statement. “The crew on board are said to be well and arrangements for their welfare and well-being are being managed by the ship’s creditors. There are no passengers on board.”
According to court records, the MV Odyssey was listed “under sheriff’s arrest” on Sunday morning just off Singapore’s east coast, meaning it had been arrested but was not necessarily facing criminal charges.
It was not clear why the ship was seized, although Singapore is a global shipping hub and it is not uncommon for ships facing trade problems to be transferred to the city-state to resolve disputes.
Local newspaper Straits Times reported that the ship’s Florida-based operator, Villa Vie Residences, owed about US$500,000 in fuel. Villa Vie Residences has been contacted for comment.
On October 27, and with only a few hours’ notice, the company disembarked all passengers, claiming that soaring fuel prices due to the war in Iran had made operations “unsustainable.” Mikael Petterson, founder and executive chairman of Villa Vie Residences, later said the ship was now operated by creditors.
Most of the MV Odyssey’s passengers were Americans, along with 156 crew members, Cambodian officials said.
Passengers have been sold on what the company’s website describes as “a new model of global living at sea”, with the 195 meter (640 foot) vessel offering multi-year residences as well as permanent cabin costs of between $120,000 (£90,000) and $440,000. However, the monthly fuel cost per cabin in some parts of Asia has fallen from $1,800 to $8,000, the company said in a statement.
Some passengers stayed in Cambodia to evaluate their options, including Lanette Canen and Johan Bodin, who documented their lives at sea on YouTube. In a video published last week and filmed on a beach with the Odyssey in the background, the couple claim that the “bank” is now making a decision on their fate. They then filmed the ship’s departure at night.
The world cruise faced problems from the start, including a four-month delay in departing from Belfast, Northern Ireland, in October 2024. Several passengers reported signs of financial difficulties during the cruise, including reports of guests raising additional funds to buy fuel.
Randy Cassingham, a writer living aboard the ship, said that after the passengers disembarked, residents also passed out a pot to raise $100 each for the lower-ranking crew. He added that few passengers expected to get back the money they had spent on their cabin, because they knew the company had “terrible financial problems from the start”.
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