'Never-ending cruise' boss admits he is the 'villain' and weighs bankruptcy after 200 passengers were stranded in Cambodia
Passengers aboard the Villa Vie Odyssey, whose founder Mikael Patterson has admitted he is the 'villain' of the story and says he is considering bankruptcy.A social-media announcement that the Villa Vie Odyssey had suspended operations, as crew members among the ship's 156-strong staff were also left unpaid amid the collapse.
Villa Vie founder Mikael Petterson called himself the "villain" of the story and said he is weighing bankruptcy after the Odyssey docked in Sihanoukville, Cambodia, and abruptly suspended operations, giving around 200 residents less than 24 hours to pack and leave. Fuel costs per cabin had rocketed from $1,800 a month to as much as $8,000, with the Iran War's impact on the Strait of Hormuz blamed for the spike. The company asked passengers for loans and cash contributions to keep moving, and crew members have still not been paid.
Paul Montoya, 68, and wife Lynn from Wyoming paid $450,000 in total — more than half of it in unexpected charges piled on top of their original $179,000 cabin price.
Blogger Randy Cassingham and his wife Kit spent $1 million on the voyage but say they have no regrets — though they expect no refund and say Villa Vie did 'absolutely nothing' to help passengers find accommodation.
Sihanoukville, where passengers are now stuck, is notorious for casinos, cybercrime and scam compounds after a wave of Chinese investment collapsed, leaving criminal networks to take over its properties.
