Update, 5 November 2026: The residential cruise ship Odyssey left Sihanoukville, Cambodia, early on 4 November. Cambodia's tourism ministry said 85 crew members sailed with the ship. Other crew had already left by air, Cambodianess reports.
The ship left the Autonomous Port at about 00:25 local time. Tracking data and company messages point to Singapore as the next port, Baird Maritime reports.
The lender that financed the ship has taken possession of it. Villa Vie founder Mike Petterson told CBS News the lender must now pay the crew. He said it must also pay for fuel and for running the ship. No sale has been scheduled yet, the company told residents.
The Philippine Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) earlier made a promise. It said 50 Filipino crew who finished their contracts would get unpaid wages and go home in groups. That promise still stands in public reports. Deck and engine crew were expected to stay on board while their manning agency looks for new jobs. New reports do not say whether those wages have been paid yet.
Update, 3 November 2026: The Philippine Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) says 50 Filipino crew members of the Odyssey will receive all their unpaid wages. DMW Secretary Hans Cacdac gave this news, ABS-CBN News reports.
These 50 crew members have finished their contracts. They will go home in groups. Hotel staff will leave first.
Deck and engine crew will stay on board for now. Their licensed manning agency is looking for other shipowners to give them new jobs. The report does not say when the wages will be paid. It also gives no news about crew from other countries.
The company that lent money for the ship has now taken control of the Odyssey. The company founder, Mike Petterson, says this lender is now responsible for paying the crew. He says it is also responsible for fuel and for running the ship. The founder told this to CBS News on 1 November. CBS News does not name the lender. CBS News also says the ship may be moved to Singapore and could later be sold.
The cruise ship Odyssey stopped its voyage in Sihanoukville, Cambodia, on 27 October 2026. Its operator, Villa Vie Residences from Florida, said fuel costs had become too high. A Cambodian official said 156 crew members and 203 passengers were on board, NBC News reports.
Now some crew members say they are waiting in Cambodia without pay, NBC News reported on 2 November.
The Odyssey is a residential cruise ship. People bought or rented cabins and lived on board while the ship sailed around the world. The voyage started in Belfast, Northern Ireland, in October 2024.
What we know about the crew's pay
The money problems started months ago. In August, the company owed hundreds of thousands of dollars to a port agent, fuel companies, food suppliers and the crew. This is from internal company documents seen by CBS News.
A resident told CBS News the company was already behind on payments for the crew, food and fuel. CBS also reports that crew members bought food in shops in Vietnam because a food supplier had stopped deliveries.
The company disagrees with some reports. A Villa Vie executive wrote to the lawyer Jim Walker about this. He said that reports that none of the crew has been paid are "inaccurate and irresponsible". Walker writes on his blog, Cruise Law News, that he asked for proof of payment and got no answer.
Who is responsible now
The lender has now taken control of the ship, CBS News reported on 1 November. The company's founder, Mike Petterson, spoke to CBS. He said the lender now has "the responsibility to pay the crew, fuel and the operations of the vessel".
Several sources told CBS that the ship will move from Cambodia to Singapore. There it could later be sold at auction. The company says it hopes to find new money and a partner to run the ship. Mr Petterson also said the company would likely file for Chapter 11, a form of bankruptcy protection in the United States.
On 27 October the company said it would support residents, crew and employees. It plans to restructure the business in the next 60 days. It also said that "no outcome is assured", CNBC reports.
What crews can do when the company runs out of money
The rules below come from the Maritime Labour Convention (MLC) and the International Transport Workers' Federation (ITF). The MLC protects everyone who works on board, including hotel, restaurant and entertainment staff. Our guide what to do if your wages are not paid or your ship is abandoned explains each step.
Under the MLC, a seafarer counts as abandoned in some cases. One case is when the shipowner does not pay contract wages for at least two months.
Every ship under the MLC must have insurance or another financial security for abandonment. It can pay up to four months of unpaid wages and the cost of going home. Look for the certificate posted on board.
Do not wait for many months. The ITF advises contacting the insurer, the ITF or a union early. Waiting longer does not give you more than four months of wages.
Keep copies of your contract, pay slips, the monthly wage account and any messages about pay. Write down the dates when payments were promised.
Find the nearest ITF inspector or union with the ITF look-up page. You can also write to abandonment@itf.org.uk.
Contact your own country's embassy or consulate if you are stranded abroad. Many governments help their seafarers come home.
Filipino seafarers can also ask their licensed manning agency or the Department of Migrant Workers for help with unpaid wages and the trip home.
Before you sign a new contract, check the ITF list of current abandonment cases. Ask if the last crew was paid on time.
Unpaid wages are a problem on cargo ships too. Read our report on ten Syrian seafarers stuck on the abandoned ship Militsa in Constanța. Help lines and official contacts are on our useful links page for seafarers.
Cover photo: the Odyssey at anchor in September 2025. Photo: JerickVillaruel, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sources: Cambodianess: Villa Vie Odyssey sails away; 85 crew with ship (4 Nov 2026), Baird Maritime: Residential ship leaves Cambodia for Singapore after lender takes possession (4 Nov 2026), CBS News, 1 Nov 2026: Creditor has taken control of forever cruise, ABS-CBN News, 3 Nov 2026: MV Odyssey crew to receive wages, return home in batches (DMW), NBC News, 2 Nov 2026: Some crewmembers on the evacuated Odyssey cruise ship say they're waiting without pay in Cambodia, NBC News, 27-28 Oct 2026: They bought cabins to live on a luxury cruise ship. High fuel costs got them kicked off in Cambodia, CBS News, 30 Oct 2026: Internal documents reveal scramble for funds before around-the-world 'forever cruise' was stranded, CBS News, 1 Nov 2026: Creditor has 'taken control' of forever cruise, message to residents shows, CNBC, 28 Oct 2026: Villa Vie Odyssey suspends operations over soaring fuel costs, Cruise Law News, 29 Oct 2026: Villa Vie's Odyssey suspends operations in Cambodia, ILO: Maritime Labour Convention, 2006, as amended (PDF), ITF Seafarers: Abandoned seafarers.
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