The captain of the Villa Vie Odyssey cruise ship is speaking out after 203 residents were forced to disembark in Cambodia due to a critical fuel shortage, calling the ordeal "really painful."The ship, which offered passengers the chance to make the ocean their permanent home, suspended its around-the-world voyage earlier this week after soaring fuel costs made continued operations financially unsustainable, according to its operator.Residents were forced to leave the vessel in the Cambodian port city of Sihanoukville, just two years after the ship set sail from Belfast, Northern Ireland, on what was supposed to be a 3 1/2-year journey around the world.THOUSANDS BOOKED TROPICAL BAHAMAS CRUISE AND ENDED UP IN FREEZING CANADA INSTEAD"I feel awful.They’re counting on me to make the decisions here, and there’s nothing else I’m focused on.
I’m the villain in the story, but I’m doing everything I can to support the residents [with] a solution," Mikael Petterson, founder and executive chairman of Villa Vie Residences, told Business Insider.Some residents had paid hundreds of thousands of dollars for the chance to live aboard. The Villa Vie Odyssey had marketed its around-the-world journey as an alternative to traditional retirement, offering residents the opportunity to live permanently at sea.(AFP via Getty Images)Villa Vie Residences had offered lifetime access to the ship through its "Endless Horizons" program for a one-time payment of $299,999 for a single-occupancy cabin or $499,999 for double occupancy, Fox Business reported in May 2024. Captain Emanuele Giudice on Thursday opened up about what led to the decision to force residents off the ship."Unfortunately, due to the shortage of fuel, we needed to shut down one generator, chiller, non-essential lights," Giudice said, as Reuters reported.CRUISE PASSENGERS FACE BLOCKED ACCESS AS ANGRY PROTESTERS SET BARRICADES ON FIREGiudice said the shutdowns would have "created discomfort to the residents, which —...