The American Villa Vie Residences has suspended its operational activity with the landing of its own and only ship in the Cambodian port of Sihanoukville, a port of call that could be the last carried out by Odyssey if the restructuring and recapitalization plan on which the American company is working will not succeed. Villa Vie Residences has attributed the cause of operations to the strong increase in fuel costs in the regions in which it operates. "From the beginning of the conflict, at the end of February - the society affirmed in a note, referring to the war between the United States and Israel against Iran - we have adopted significant measures to reduce the consumption of fuel, including the slowdown of the routes and a greater stay in the ports. Such initiatives have not been sufficient to compensate for the exceptional increase in fuel costs and we are no longer able to sustain the operating losses that have arisen".

The company has specified that, on an equivalent basis for cabin, the monthly expenditure for the fuel, that historically stood on average about 1.800 dollars, in some areas of Asia has recently reached an estimated figure between 6,000 and 8,000 dollars. "Transfer the entire increase on residents - it has evidenced the company - is not a realistic solution. Our current goal is to support residents, crew and staff, while working on a restructuring and recapitalization plan in the next 60 days".

Villa Vie Residences qualifies its customers "residenti" because the American society proposes a particular model of marine tourism: live permanently on board a cruise ship that circumnavigates the world, buying the right of residence for a long or multi-year period, or renting a cabin for shorter stays. The goal is to allow customers to use the ship as a real home, maintaining a stable accommodation while constantly changing countries, cities and ports visited. The company offers different economic formulas for customers, with amounts varying according to the duration of the residence and accommodation. The rates for a five-year residence start from $59.999, for a permanent residence of 119.999 dollars and for the Home Suite Home formula, which offers the union of two or three adjacent residences, of 229.999 dollars.

Announcing the interruption of the cruise, Villa Vie Residences has specified that it is collaborating with residents to coordinate their landing and identify temporary housing solutions. The American company also specified that the process of defining the plan of restructuring and recapitalization is underway and there is no guarantee on the final outcome and that Villa Vie Residences continues to assess the possible future prospects, but at the moment no financing or transaction agreement has been completed.

The Odyssey, flying the flag of the Bahamas, departed from Belfast on 3 October 2024 to begin its continuous journey around the world and carry out an itinerary comprising 425 destinations in 147 nations, distributed over about three and a half years, with stops that can last longer than those of the traditional cruises. The ship, which has a gross size of 24.344 tons, is over 195 meters long and more than 22. The Odyssey, which was built in 1993 in Spain at the Unión Naval de Levante yards of Valencia, can accommodate up to 650 residents.

The Odyssey arrived on 23 October in Sihanoukville from Thailand and headed to Vietnam. The ship, with 203 tourists and 156 crew members on board, should have departed today. Passengers would be informed yesterday of the temporary suspension of operations and the need to land within a few hours. Some would have chosen to repatriate by air, while others would be waiting for accommodation in the Cambodian city. According to the local authorities, the ship should supply and sail next Saturday.