Fuel shock strands 203 Odyssey passengers in Cambodia
What's next: Villa Vie is seeking financing and weighing restructuring after monthly per-cabin fuel costs jumped to as much as $8,000.
More than 200 passengers on Villa Vie Residences' Odyssey were ordered off the ship in Cambodia after the company suspended operations, blaming a steep rise in fuel costs tied to the Iran war. The ship has been docked in Sihanoukville since arriving from Thailand on Oct. 23 and was supposed to continue to Vietnam. Local officials said 203 passengers from 15 nationalities and 156 crew were aboard. Villa Vie said per-cabin monthly fuel costs, once about $1,800, had climbed to $6,000 to $8,000 in parts of Asia. The company said it is arranging temporary lodging and local transport, but passengers complained they were left to cover onward travel themselves.