The MV Odyssey, a US-operated cruise ship whose passengers were stranded in Cambodia over a fuel funding shortfall, left the country early on November 4, according to 中国新闻网. Tang Sochetkresna, director of the Preah Sihanouk provincial tourism department, said the vessel departed Sihanoukville Autonomous Port at 12:25 a.m. after taking on fuel.
Only part of the crew was aboard at departure, the official said. The remaining crew members had already left Cambodia by air. The ship's next destination has not been disclosed.
The Odyssey is run by Villa Vie Residences, a company based in Florida. It set out from Belfast in Northern Ireland in October 2024 on a voyage around the world planned to last three and a half years. The ship arrived in Sihanoukville from Thailand on October 23 carrying 203 passengers and 156 crew members.
Four days later, the operator instructed all passengers to leave the vessel, citing an inability to cover fuel payments. Villa Vie Residences had announced it was suspending the ship's operations because of a sharp rise in fuel prices. According to the company, monthly fuel spending per cabin had climbed from a historical average of US$1,800 to between US$6,000 and US$8,000, a level it said was no longer sustainable. Management traced the financial trouble back to early 2026.
What to watch next: whether Villa Vie Residences says where the Odyssey is headed and how it plans to address the passengers who were removed from the ship.
