PHNOM PENH: The luxury residential cruise ship MV Odyssey has been arrested at a Singapore port over an apparent financial dispute, days after departing Cambodia without passengers who were forced to leave the vessel in Sihanoukville.
The arrest, reported by CBS News on Nov 8, follows the collapse of operations by Florida-based Villa Vie Residences, which had marketed the vessel as a floating home offering residents the opportunity to travel around the world indefinitely.
Singapore law firm Helmsman LLC is listed in court records as the solicitor responsible for the arrest, although it remains unclear whom the firm represents. A source familiar with the matter told CBS News that the legal action was likely initiated by a fuel supplier.
Villa Vie reportedly owes a supplier in the region approximately US$500,000 (S$640,000), although the identity of the claimant has not been confirmed.
The vessel is now under the control of its lender after Villa Vie failed to keep up with payments. A ship arrest is a legal process allowing a vessel to be detained following a financial or other legal claim, potentially leaving it subject to further proceedings or a judicial sale.
The latest development follows the abrupt suspension of the Odyssey’s planned three-year voyage in Cambodia in late October, when around 200 residents were told to disembark at Sihanoukville Autonomous Port with little notice.
As previously reported by The Post on Oct 30, the US company attributed its decision to suspend operations to soaring fuel costs linked to the war in Iran, which had made the residential cruise’s operating model financially unsustainable.
The vessel departed Sihanoukville on Nov 4 without passengers, leaving former residents to make their own arrangements after the unexpected end of their voyage.
Tourism Ministry spokesman Top Sopheak said approximately 98 passengers remained in Cambodia as at Nov 4, staying in different locations, including Sihanoukville, Kampot, Kep, Siem Reap and Phnom Penh. Others had returned home or travelled to destinations elsewhere in the region.
The ministry said it welcomed those remaining to continue exploring Cambodia, with a coordination team available to assist them during their stay.
For some passengers, however, the disruption has involved substantial financial losses after investing large sums in what was marketed as long-term or permanent accommodation at sea.
CBS News reported that American passenger Joel Greiff, 57, had paid US$350,000 for a cabin aboard the vessel but spent only 26 days living on the ship after joining in October.
After being forced to disembark in Cambodia, Greiff found accommodation in Kampot for approximately US$200 a month. He told CBS News he had come to terms with the possibility that he might never recover the money invested in the cruise.
Other residents had also attempted to organise a purchase of the vessel to keep the residential cruise operating. However, the effort, which reportedly attracted financial pledges from 169 residents, failed after a lender declined to provide funding, according to international reporting.
The Odyssey’s current difficulties had reportedly been developing for months before its arrival in Cambodia. The company had been experiencing financial distress for at least three months and had reportedly sought additional contributions from residents to keep operations running.
The vessel, whose around-the-world voyage began in Belfast, Northern Ireland, in October 2024, had offered passengers the opportunity to purchase or rent residential accommodation while travelling internationally.
Villa Vie previously said monthly fuel expenses, which had historically averaged US$1,800 per cabin, had risen to an estimated US$6,000 to US$8,000 in parts of Asia.
The company had attempted to reduce costs by slowing the ship and spending longer periods in port but said these measures were insufficient to offset the increase.
The future of the Odyssey remains uncertain following its arrest in Singapore, while the former residents who were left behind in Cambodia face the prospect of rebuilding their travel and accommodation arrangements. - Phnom Pehn Post/ANN
