New residence at sea vessel Villa Vie Odyssey nears completion of Belfast transformation

The perils of buying an ageing cruise ship for conversion into a residential vessel can be somewhat fraught, as US newcomer Villa Vie Residences is finding out with its first vessel, Villa Vie Odyssey, currently undergoing conversion in dry-dock at Belfast’s Harland & Wolff shipyard.

The vessel was bought from Fred Olsen Cruise Line in March this year, with the vessel laying alongside in Rosyth, Scotland, having been in cold lay-up for four years since the COVID pandemic. The 1993-built vessel had operated for her previous owners as the cruise ship Braemar.

Initially, the vessel’s new American owners had issues starting up the vessel’s main engines and system for the voyage from Rosyth to Belfast, where she arrived and entered dry-dock on April 18.

Renamed Villa Vie Odyssey, the new residence vessel was scheduled to sail on her maiden voyage from Southampton in mid-May. Delays in the shipyard then pushed this date back to the end of June, but further issues now mean that the vessel will enter service on July 20.

Villa Vie Residences says that all interior conversion work has been completed. The only delay at present is with the vessel’s rudder stocks. Due to DNV class requirements, new parts have had to be manufactured in Denmark and shipped to Belfast for fitting.

The new residence vessel is now expected to undock from Harland & Wolff’s Belfast Drydock between July 10 and 12.