MV Odyssey crew to receive wages, return home in batches—DMW

MANILA — Fifty Filipino crew members aboard the MV Odyssey have completed their contracts and will receive all pending wages, according to Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) Secretary Hans Cacdac.

The ship is docked in Cambodia after its operator, Florida-based Villa Vie Residences, suspended its voyage amid soaring fuel costs.

Cacdac said crew repatriation will take place in batches, with hotel staff leaving first. 

Deck and engine crew will temporarily remain aboard, while the licensed manning agency seeks other principals for their redeployment.

Around 200 passengers who paid to live on a cruise ship while travelling the world were abruptly left in Cambodia after the company ran out of money.

Last week, US-based operator Villa Vie Residences announced it was suspending operations of the Odyssey, two years after the ship set off, citing “extraordinary increases” in fuel costs following the US-Israel war with Iran.

It had been billed as an affordable, continuous voyage around the world, in which residents could buy or rent rooms for a holiday or for life, some passengers selling everything they had to pay for it.

However, residents were given just seven hours to pack their bags and leave during a scheduled stop in the Cambodian port of Sihanoukville on Tuesday, according to local authorities.

In a statement, the company said monthly fuel expenses per cabin had climbed from about $1,800 to an estimated $6,000–$8,000 in parts of Asia, forcing it to pursue restructuring.

“Since the conflict began in late February, we have taken significant steps to reduce fuel consumption, including slowing the itinerary and spending more time in port. Those measures have not been enough to offset the extraordinary increase in fuel costs, and we have been unable to continue carrying the resulting operating losses. Passing the full increase on to residents is not a realistic solution,” the statement said.

“Our focus now is on supporting residents, crew, and employees while we work toward restructuring and recapitalization over the next 60 days. That work is ongoing, and no outcome is assured,” they added. —With reports from Agence France-Presse