The Villa Vie Odyssey, the residential cruise ship that abruptly halted operations in Cambodia in late October, has been held in Singapore under a court order.
The vessel arrived in Singapore on Sunday and is now anchored in the country’s port waters, the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore told Business Insider in a statement.
“The vessel has been placed under arrest pursuant to a court order,” the statement said. “The crew onboard are reported to be well, and arrangements for their welfare and wellbeing are being managed by the vessel’s creditors. There are no passengers on board.”
In Singapore, ship arrests are civil admiralty proceedings: a court can order the Sheriff to hold a vessel as security for a claimant’s legal claim.
The Odyssey is listed on the Singapore Judiciary’s list of vessels under Sheriff’s arrest, though the listing does not disclose the underlying claim. The arresting solicitor, Helmsman LLC, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The court action comes less than two weeks after Villa Vie Residences suspended the ship’s operations while it was docked in Sihanoukville, Cambodia, citing steep increases in fuel costs.
Passengers who spoke to Business Insider said the final months aboard were marked by repeated requests for cash from management, service cutbacks, and continual itinerary changes. When the ship suspended operations, they said they were given only eight hours to disembark.
A group of residents later made a last-ditch effort to buy the Odyssey and keep it operating, but the plan fell through.
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