Belfast cruise ship the Odyssey is finally on its way out of the lough after four months
The Odyssey – the cruise ship that has been stuck in Belfast for four months – is leaving Belfast Lough at last.
It means that, apparently, the long-running saga surrounding the vessel is at an end – at least, as far as its stay in Northern Ireland goes.
After leaving the dock on Monday night following its repairs, it sailed a mere 10 nautical miles (about 11.5 miles) or so to the edge of the lough, near Bangor, where it remained for another three days, sparking speculation that it was going to return to port once again.
As of the morning of Thursday, October 3, the website Vesselfinder.com listed her next port as Brest in north-west France, stating she was due in there at about 4am tomorrow.
The firm Hamilton Shipping is the agent for the vessel.
When contacted to ask when it was due to leave this morning, one of its agents told the News Letter: “Good question.”
As to what is holding her up, the agent said: “Paperwork.”
However, by this afternoon the ship’s destination had changed to Hunterston, a tiny village in western Scotland near Largs.
Then by mid-afternoon, the ship’s locator beacon showed her on the move, with her latest destination listed simply as “south”.
Passenger Randy Cassingham wrote on Facebook this afternoon shortly after 3pm: “After hearing the horn blast, I looked out to see we had gotten underway. A few minutes later, the company CEO showed up in the main bar, knowing he'd find a gathering there.
“I said I hoped we are not going back to Belfast. ‘We are not going to Belfast,’ he replied, bringing cheers from everyone there.
"We need fuel, and he told the planner he doesn't care where we go, just go. But not to Belfast.
“The apparent destination is Brest, France… via some other spot first for fuel and fresh water. We... are... underway!”
Maritime journalist Dave Monk posted up a video a short time ago from passenger Holly Hennessy, showing her and her cat Captain on the open deck.
"We actually are moving!” she exclaimed.
"I’m sorry I didn’t get the horn for you, but we can see you [Belfast] in the distance. We’ll miss you, right Captain? We’re gonna miss Belfast. Bye-bye.”
The ship is a so-called “permanent cruise” vessel, where people can essentially lease cabins on a long-term basis and go cruising for years.
The ship, which is 31 years old, was bought by current owners Villa Vie Residences last year and arrived in Belfast to be outfitted in April 2024 but could not leave the following month due to mechanical problems, leaving passengers essentially stranded in the Province.
The ship’s (non)-departure has become something of a saga this week.
On Tuesday, the Twitter account @MLAsAndTheLike (9,000 followers) tweeted out a picture of Scrooge from a Christmas Carol throwing open his window on Christmas Day and asking: “You, boy... How many times has the Villa Vie Odyssey left Belfast now...?”