PUBLISHED ONUPDATEDBYYeo Shu HuiStranded luxury cruise ship Villa Vie Odyssey has been "arrested" in Singapore following its owner's financial struggles.
Singapore law firm Helmsman LLC is listed as the arresting solicitor, according to court documents obtained by CBS News, reported the news agency on Monday (Nov 8).
A ship arrest is a legal process in which a vessel is detained by court order to secure a maritime claim.
Its US-based operator Villa Vie Residences is said to owe one supplier approximately US$500,000 (S$640,000). It is unclear if the same supplier had hired the law firm to detain the liner.
A check by AsiaOne shows the ship docked near Changi Bay.
This comes after its operator announced on Oct 27 that they had suspended operations in Cambodia due to increasing fuel costs from the Iran war.
On Oct 28, more than 200 passengers were given just seven hours to disembark from the cruise in Cambodia.
The cruise ship departed Cambodia early on Wednesday (Nov 4), Reuters reported.
The ship left with no passengers and around 50 crew, according to Taing Sochitkrishna, head of the Sihanoukville tourism department.
He said then that around 100 passengers remained in Cambodia, while the others largely flew to other destinations in the region.
Built in 1993 and operated by several cruise lines under different names before the Covid-19 pandemic, the Odyssey was acquired by Villa Vie Residences in 2023.
Odyssey, which begun its voyage from Northern Ireland in October 2024, had promised a three-and-a-half-year continuous voyage where passengers could rent or purchase rooms on board while it travels to more than 150 countries, according to its website.
Several passengers reportedly said they had paid more than $300,000 (S$384,000) for a suite for the lifetime of the vessel.
The ship was later taken over by a lender and moved from Cambodia to Singapore ahead of a possible auction, reported CBS News on Nov 1.
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