Wire reporting: (AP, via Local 10)

The MV Odyssey, a Florida-based Villa Vie Residences residential cruise ship, left Cambodia without passengers after the operator halted its around-the-world voyage, Cambodian officials said^1,2.

Tang Sochetkresna, director of the Tourism Department of Preah Sihanouk province, said the ship left Sihanoukville late Tuesday with crew and other personnel only, and that he did not know the next destination^1,2. CBS News said people familiar with the matter had previously told it the vessel would be moved to Singapore and could eventually be auctioned¹.

Passengers were told on Oct. 28, during a scheduled stop, that they had to leave within a few hours, CBS and an Associated Press dispatch carried by Local 10 reported^1,2. The ship had 203 passengers then, most of them Americans, and a listed capacity of 650^1,2. Nearly 100 passengers remained in Sihanoukville as of Wednesday, while others had gone elsewhere in Cambodia or to other countries, the official said^1,2. The ship had 156 crew; it was not clear how many left with the vessel^1,2.

The operator suspended the planned three-year cruise because of a sharp rise in fuel costs, both accounts said^1,2. Villa Vie Residences said monthly fuel expenses per cabin that had averaged about $1,800 had reached an estimated $6,000 to $8,000 in parts of Asia because of the war in Iran^1,2.

CBS News said internal communications it reviewed showed financial distress for at least three months before the Cambodia stop, and that additional documents showed urgency in getting residents to provide more funds¹. It said a message to residents indicated a lender had taken control of the ship¹. Founder and executive chairman Mike Petterson told CBS: "This is a 30- to 90-day process, and, during that process, we have time to get a restructure done"¹.

There has been no official announcement of future plans for the ship^1,2. The Odyssey was built in 1993, bought by Villa Vie Residences in 2023, and began its current cruise in October 2024 in Belfast after a refit^1,2.

What happens next for remaining passengers, crew, ownership, and any Singapore move is not fully settled on the public record^1,2.