By Chantha Lach
SIHANOUKVILLE, Cambodia, Nov 4 (Reuters) – After disembarking more than 200 passengers who had paid tens of thousands of dollars to live on board for years, the Villa Vie Odyssey cruise ship departed Cambodia early on Wednesday.
Last week, the vessel’s owner, Florida-based Villa Vie Residences, suspended operations and forced passengers off the ship at the port town of Sihanoukville, saying fuel price increases from the Iran war had made operations prohibitively expensive.
The ship left with no passengers and around 50 crew, according to Taing Sochitkrishna, head of the Sihanoukville tourism department. He said around 100 passengers remained in Cambodia, while the others largely flew to other destinations in the region.
Passengers unloaded their last belongings from the vessel on Tuesday, and many said they did not expect to return to the ship.
“There are still many things on the ship that I wish I could take with me,” said Shirine Thomas, of Wilmington, North Carolina, shortly after collecting some final items.
The Villa Vie Odyssey had been cruising the world for at least 755 days as one of only a handful of ships that offered passengers the opportunity to rent or buy long-term or even permanent residences on board.
The ship’s final destination was unconfirmed. Some passengers and maritime tracking websites indicated the ship was bound for Singapore. Villa Vie Residences did not respond to emails or phone calls seeking comment.
Sixty-seven-year-old retired high school teacher Mary Ann Demsar from Ontario, Canada, said the owners had provided no information on whether the voyage would continue.
“We don’t get any clear indication from the owners of Villa Vie as to what is happening,” she said. “They’ve been so quiet, the only information we get is from the wonderful government and the representatives here in Cambodia.”
(Writing by Josh Smith; Editing by Raju Gopalakrishnan)
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