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One two-month voyage through the Land Down Under is being halted in the wake of the fatal incident of an senior woman who was abandoned by the ship on a isolated coastal location.

The passenger had been walking on Lizard Island with other travelers from the cruise ship, but broke off from the excursion for a break. The liner sailed away leaving her and returned after some time after the ship staff discovered the passenger was unaccounted for.

A major hunt found her body the following day.

Officials are examining the incident, together with police and the official investigator.

Chief Executive of the shipping company announced that travelers and crew on the ship were notified that the rest of the journey had been terminated due to the "unfortunate death and prior mechanical issues".

In a statement, he mentioned that travelers would be provided a total repayment, and said the company was working "to coordinate the return journeys of the passengers via chartered flights".

Officials also published an updated announcement, and said they had "delivered a directive to the Master" banning any additional guests from getting on the liner.

The official said that they would visit the ship in Cairns upon its return.

Sequence of Occurrences

The ship initially left Cairns on 24 October, and was just two days into the journey at the time of the elderly woman's passing. Lizard Island was the opening port on the journey.

Passengers on board - who usually pay large sums of money to join the voyage - were ferried there for a shore visit with the choice of trekking or snorkelling.

Next of Kin Statement

The offspring of the elderly passenger said that her family was "stunned and saddened that the ship left the island after an organised tour without my mum".

Through her comments, she described her mum as an "active 80-year-old" who was a participant of a hiking club.

"According to scant details we have been told, it appears that there was a lapse of responsibility and basic judgment," she said.

She added that she desired the investigation would be able to identify what "the operator should have undertaken that might have saved Mother's being".

"Based on information from the investigators that it was a exceptionally warm period, and mother fell ill on the hill climb," she explained.

"She was asked her to go back, without accompaniment. Then the vessel sailed away, seemingly without doing a passenger count.

"During some point in that sequence, or shortly after, mother passed away, alone."

Operator Response

Via official communication, the CEO affirmed that the operator was "collaborating extensively with officials to aid their examination".

He stated that the firm was "deeply sorry that this has transpired" and had extended its total backing to the relatives.

Shipping Sector Practices

The ship accommodates up to 120 travelers with nearly fifty staff, according to company information. It was purpose-built to reach isolated areas of the nation's shoreline and is outfitted with "auxiliary vessels" - compact vessels used to take passengers on shore trips.

Occurrences such as this are rare, and liners have protocols to record which individuals are getting on or leaving, according to travel authorities.

"Going ashore secretly or [back] onboard simply isn't an possibility," one expert remarked.

Cruise lines consider these methods very seriously and have "sophisticated systems in place to avoid such occurrences from happening," the authority continued.

"This is probably a surprising - and sad - isolated incident."