The Coral Adventurer was boarded by investigators after returning to cairns more than a week after one of the cruiser’s passengers was stranded on a remote Great Barrier Reef Island.
Suzanne Rees, 80, from Sydney, died after abandoning her hiking group on lizard island on a 60-day luxury cruise.
His body was found on the island on Sunday 26 October, after a land and sea search was launched when the crew realized he was missing. According to satellite tracking data, the corral adventurer is about 100km away from Rees’ return.
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The ship overflowed at 6pm on Tuesday, a spokesperson for the coral expeditions said, and was boarded by representatives of the Australian Maritime Safety Authority (Amsa) on Wednesday morning. As of Wednesday afternoon, the ship remained off the coast of Yorkeys Knob, the spokesman said, because there were no available docks at the cairns.
This is the first time coral expeditions have made a human port in Portland since the cruise began in Cairns on Friday 24 October.
Its first stop was at Lizard Island the next morning. Tracking data shows the ship left Lizard Island at 3.40PM that day. Rees’ absence was noticed when he didn’t show up for dinner around 6pm, with the boat returning and returning to the island lizard at 8.43PM.
Amsa was notified of the missing passenger at 9pm, which began a response and assisted Queensland police in a land and sea search.
Rees’ daughter Katherine Rees said that her “healthy” and “active” mother fell during a hike in the Inland Islands.
“We understand from the police that it was a very hot day, and Mum got sick on the hill climb,” he said on Thursday.
“He was asked to come, not prompt. Then the ship left, apparently without making a passenger count. At some stage in succession, or soon after, Mum died.”
The Cruise Company ended the tour early, the reef expeditions announced on Saturday, with all passengers flying home from the Torres Strait Islands.
The Chief Officer of the Company Edekutivo, Mark Timaling, said that “after the sad passing of Suzanne and previous mechanical issues, the decision that got the rest of the blind” and the passengers will receive a full refund.
Balcony rooms on the 120-guest cruise are priced at $86,400 a person, according to a clean cruise listing.
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Amsa, which is investigating the incident with several police, the Queensland Coroner and Workafe Queensland, has confirmed that it will “attend” the ship in Cairns when the investigation and the interview come.
Part of Amsa’s investigation centers on why the Rees may not have been accounted for during the ride, a spokeswoman said.
A spokesman for occupational health and safety Queensland said questions remained over Rees’ death. “These inquiries will include investigations related to the cruise provider,” they said.
It declined to confirm whether there had been any safety concerns reported to Workafe Queensland about coral reef expeditions last year.
A spokesperson for Coral Expeditions said the company is cooperating with Amsa and the investigations.
Queensland Police said a report was being prepared for the coroner in the death of Rees, who they described as non-suspicious.
“As the matter is now before the coroner, we cannot provide any further information,” said the police.