Due to the war in Iran, a cruise ship interrupted its round-the-world voyage and disembarked its passengers

Villa Vie Residences has suspended the round-the-world voyage of its cruise ship, the Villa Vie Odyssey, which had been traveling the globe continuously for over two years and had become a home away from home for its passengers. The ship stopped in Cambodia, where the passengers were disembarked.

The decision was prompted by rising fuel costs amid the war in Iran and disruptions to shipping through the Strait of Hormuz.

The company explained that since late February, when the war began, it had been trying to conserve fuel by slowing down the voyage and staying in ports longer. However, this proved insufficient, and the company can no longer cover the losses.

According to the company, monthly fuel costs per cabin have risen from approximately $1,800 to $8,000 in some parts of Asia, which relies heavily on energy resources from the Middle East. Passing all these costs on to residents, as the company noted, is unrealistic.

Over the next two months, Villa Vie Residences will attempt to restructure and raise new funds, but acknowledges that the outcome is not guaranteed. For now, the company is seeking temporary housing for the passengers.

Many passengers purchased cabins on the cruise ship with the intention of living there permanently. A five-year residency cost from $59,999, while a private cabin for life cost from $119,999. In addition, residents paid between $3,299 and $9,500 per month for meals, internet, housekeeping, and medical care. The ship was scheduled to visit more than 400 destinations around the world.

One of the residents, Holly Hennessy, who had lived on the cruise ship with her cat since the very beginning of the voyage, said that passengers were given less than a day’s notice before being asked to disembark. However, she noted that this had been building up: as early as May, residents were asked to pay extra for fuel, and the crew had been cutting back on air conditioning onboard.

“The way things were set up, it couldn’t have lasted long. But that doesn’t diminish the memories, the adventures, those special moments when you were a true citizen of the world,” she said.

CNN reports on this.

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