A
that forced all its passengers to disembark in Cambodia after suspending its operations last week has departed the Southeast Asian nation with only crew aboard, Cambodian officials said Wednesday.
asserted
officials → force → nation
It had been docked for a scheduled stop at the Cambodian port of Sihanoukville on the Gulf of Thailand, when on Oct. 28 its 203 passengers were suddenly told they had to disembark within a few hours.
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they → dock → hours
The ship left Sihanoukville late Tuesday with only crew and other personnel on board, said Tang Sochetkresna, director of the Tourism Department of Preah Sihanouk province.
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Sochetkresna → leave → province
He said he didn't know the ship's next destination, but multiple sources familiar with the matter previously told CBS News the ship will be moved to Singapore, where it could eventually be auctioned off.
uncertain
it → say → Singapore
The cruise ship is now under
, according to a message sent to residents and obtained by CBS News.
uncertain
ship → accord → News
Company leadership, however, said they're optimistic they can get the ship back — if they find an operational partner.
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they → say → partner
"This is a 30- to 90-day process, and, during that process, we have time to get a restructure done," Mike Petterson, the company's founder and executive chairman, told CBS News.
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Petterson → have → News
Sochetkresna said that nearly 100 passengers remained in Sihanoukville, while others were visiting other parts of Cambodia or had traveled on to other countries.
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others → say → countries
The ship, with its 650-passenger capacity, had 156 crew members on board, but it was not clear how many departed with the ship.
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many → have → ship
Media reports suggested that a creditor had taken over its management and was having it sailed to Singapore, Southeast Asia's main maritime hub.
uncertain
it → suggest → Singapore
The abrupt end to the ship's voyage has drawn widespread attention because it had touted itself as a floating home, combining long-term living at sea with global travel.
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it → draw → travel
Several passengers said they had paid more than $300,000 for a suite for the lifetime of the vessel.
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they → say → vessel
Villa Vie Residences said monthly fuel expenses per cabin that historically averaged $1,800 have reached an estimated $6,000 to $8,000 in parts of Asia due to the war in Iran.
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that → say → Iran
The company said it sought to reduce fuel consumption by slowing the itinerary and spending more time in port, but was unable to offset the surging costs.
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it → say → costs
Internal communications reviewed by CBS News showed the ship was in
for at least three months prior to Cambodia.
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ship → review → Cambodia
Now, additional documents show that the company had a sense of urgency in getting more residents to provide even more funds.
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residents → show → funds
During a meeting that took place in early August, the company wrote in an internal PowerPoint presentation: "A significant new line of inquiry is the need to distinguish actual inability to contribute from unwillingness to contribute further."
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line → take → unwillingness
Traffic has been curtailed in the Strait of Hormuz since the
began, squeezing supplies of all kinds of petroleum-based fuels, especially in Southeast Asia, and sharply increasing prices.
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Traffic → curtail → prices
Passengers had said the company had been asking them for several months for contributions to keep the ship operating, and there has been an active debate on social media over whether its operation was ever financially viable.
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operation → say → media
Built in 1993 and operated under different names by several cruise lines over the years before the COVID-19 pandemic, the Odyssey was bought by Villa Vie Residences in 2023.
Its current cruise began in October 2024 in Belfast, Northern Ireland, where the ship had been refitted.
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ship → build → Belfast
A second cruise, along with the purchase of a second ship to operate in a similar capacity, had already been planned.
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cruise → operate → capacity
The Aporia
