A Floating Home’s Residents Were Left in Cambodia Over Fuel Costs

Villa Vie Residences, the company behind a ship that sells cabins as long-term homes, has suspended operations of the Villa Vie Odyssey in Cambodia. CruiseMapper reported on October 28 that rising fuel costs had left the company’s operating position unsustainable.

The situation moved quickly. Cruise Industry News reported on October 29 that guests were sent ashore because of a critical fuel situation aboard the ship, and, in a separate headline the same day, that Villa Vie was set to file for Chapter 11 after Odyssey residents were left in Cambodia.

The case is unusual because the people affected are not ordinary vacationers. Villa Vie sells residences on a ship that circles the globe, so passengers who live aboard can lose their home as well as their itinerary when a voyage stops, which makes a suspension far more disruptive than a cancelled holiday cruise.

Details beyond the headlines are limited. The listings we reviewed do not say how many residents are in Cambodia, what the company has offered them, or what a bankruptcy filing would mean for ownership of the cabins. Anyone considering a long-term ship residence should watch the Chapter 11 filing for those answers.

Sources: CruiseMapper, Cruise Industry News