The captain of the Villa Vie Odyssey cruise ship is speaking out after 203 residents were forced to disembark in Cambodia due to a critical fuel shortage, calling the ordeal "really painful."
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residents → speak → ordeal
The ship, which offered passengers the chance to make the ocean their permanent home, suspended its around-the-world voyage earlier this week after soaring fuel costs made continued operations financially unsustainable, according to its operator.
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operations → offer → operator
Residents were forced to leave the vessel in the Cambodian port city of Sihanoukville, just two years after the ship set sail from Belfast, Northern Ireland, on what was supposed to be a 3 1/2-year journey around the world.
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what → force → world
"I feel awful.
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I → feel → ?
They’re counting on me to make the decisions here, and there’s nothing else I’m focused on.
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I → count → decisions
I’m the villain in the story, but I’m doing everything I can to support the residents [with] a solution," Mikael Petterson, founder and executive chairman of Villa Vie Residences, told Business Insider.
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Petterson → ’m → Insider
Some residents had paid hundreds of thousands of dollars for the chance to live aboard.
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residents → pay → chance
Villa Vie Residences had offered lifetime access to the ship through its "Endless Horizons" program for a one-time payment of $299,999 for a single-occupancy cabin or $499,999 for double occupancy, Fox Business reported in May 2024.
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Business → offer → May
Captain Emanuele Giudice on Thursday opened up about what led to the decision to force residents off the ship.
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what → open → ship
"Unfortunately, due to the shortage of fuel, we needed to shut down one generator, chiller, non-essential lights," Giudice said, as Reuters reported.
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Reuters → need → generator
Giudice said the shutdowns would have "created discomfort to the residents, which — we don't want that.
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we → say → that
"
"So we kindly asked the residents to get off the ship because our fuel situation was critical," he said.
"There are people now who are homeless and who have very little money and don't know what they're going to do."
Asked who was to blame, Giudice pointed to high fuel prices, saying they had significantly affected the ship's travel.
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they → ask → travel
He declined to comment when a reporter asked whether the war in the Middle East and President Donald Trump were responsible.
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war → decline → East
Giudice also said residents were given more than 24 hours' notice to leave the ship.
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residents → say → ship
Yet passengers previously told The Associated Press (AP) they received just seven hours' notice and had to make their own accommodations.
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they → tell → accommodations
Paul and Lynn Montoya, a retired couple from Wyoming, previously told AP they were repeatedly asked for fuel money.
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they → tell → money
"I’m the villain in the story, but I’m doing everything I can to support the residents on a solution."
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I → ’m → solution
"We were tired of every two to four weeks being asked for money for fuel, money for everything," Lynn Montoya said.
"
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Montoya → ask → everything
We had hopes, but they just kept sinking further and further into the hole," she added.
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she → have → hole
Benjamin Schatz, a retiree who had hoped to make the MV Odyssey his forever home, told CBS News he was devastated after being forced to leave the ship.
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he → hop → ship
"Honestly, right now, I'm in denial and in shock, and I'm heartbroken," Schatz said, as CBS reported.
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CBS → say → shock
He added, "There are people now who are homeless and who have very little money and don't know what they're going to do."
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they → add → what
The company had marketed life aboard the Odyssey as an alternative to traditional retirement, appealing to retirees concerned about inflation, rising living expenses and the possibility of outliving their savings.
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company → market → savings
Petterson promoted the experience as a way for retirees to live on a fixed budget without worrying about ongoing expenses.
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retirees → promote → expenses
"For less than the price of an average home, you can secure a lifetime of experiences," Petterson said at the time.
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Petterson → secure → time
Fox News Digital reached out to Villa Vie Residences for comment.
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Digital → reach → comment
The Associated Press and Reuters contributed reporting.
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Press → contribute → reporting
The Aporia
