One 60-day voyage circling the Australian Coast is being halted days after the fatal incident of an elderly lady who was stranded by the cruise liner on a remote island.
Suzanne Rees had been trekking on the remote island with fellow passengers from the Coral Adventurer, but broke off from the party for a rest. The vessel departed without her and went back after some time after the crew realised the woman was missing.
A large-scale rescue mission located her person the subsequent day.
Investigative bodies are examining the event, in coordination with investigators and the medical examiner.
The CEO of the voyage organizer stated that passengers and personnel on the vessel were notified that the rest of the journey had been cancelled due to the "unfortunate death and previous engine troubles".
In a statement, he added that passengers would be issued a complete reimbursement, and said the organization was working "to coordinate the return journeys of the passengers via private aircraft".
Officials also issued an revised statement, and said they had "issued a directive to the Captain" prohibiting any further travelers from boarding the ship.
The representative said that they would inspect the liner in Cairns upon its arrival.
Chronology of Events
The vessel initially left the Australian port on 24 October, and was merely two days into the voyage at the moment of the 80-year-old's passing. Lizard Island was the opening port on the voyage.
Guests on the vessel - who usually pay substantial amounts of dollars to take part in the cruise - were ferried there for a shore visit with the possibility of trekking or underwater exploration.
Relatives Statement
The child of the deceased woman said that her loved ones was "surprised and distressed that the ship left the location after an organised excursion without my mother".
Through her comments, she portrayed her mother as an "active octogenarian" who was a affiliate of a bushwalking club.
"According to scant facts we have been told, it looks that there was a lapse of attention and common sense," she stated.
She added that she wished the investigation would be able to pinpoint what "the operator should have done that might have preserved Mum's life".
"Based on information from the investigators that it was a exceptionally warm period, and she took sick on the uphill trek," she stated.
"Officials suggested her to head down, alone. Then the boat departed, apparently without doing a roll call.
"At some stage in that chain of events, or shortly after, mum passed away, without company."
Organization Position
Through an announcement, the CEO verified that the operator was "working closely with authorities to aid their examination".
He stated that the company was "very regretful that this has happened" and had extended its complete assistance to the loved ones.
Cruise Industry Procedures
The liner caters for up to 120 guests with forty-six staff, according to official data. It was purpose-built to enter remote locations of Australia's coastline and is fitted with "small boats" - minor craft used to take travelers on day excursions.
Occurrences like this are infrequent, and passenger vessels have protocols to document which travelers are getting on or disembarking, according to travel authorities.
"Going ashore secretly or [back] onboard just isn't an choice," an authority commented.
Vessel operators take these procedures very seriously and have "sophisticated systems in place to stop such incidents from happening," the expert added.
"This seems to be most likely a shocking - and unfortunate - one-off."
