Death boat Lady Rose is refitted and renamed My Way
The party boat on which a 39-year-old mother died after being overcome with noxious gas has been renamed and will soon cruise back to Sydney Harbour.
NSW
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All Occasion Cruises owner Joe Elias has renamed the vessel on which 39-year-old mother Shalina Abdul Hussein died after being overcome with noxious gas, painting over the name Lady Rose and calling it My Way.
Ms Hussein was found slumped in the bathroom of the Lady Rose on February 2 this year. Investigations uncovered illegal sewage piping on the vessel and toxicology reports indicated Ms Hussein was overcome with deadly hydrogen sulphide gas from sewage tanks.
Asked how he thought potential patrons would feel taking a cruise on My Way given the history of the vessel, Mr Elias said: “Is it my fault that lady’s died on my boat? Definitely not my fault.”
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Mr Elias told The Daily Telegraph the vessel was “always in good condition” but he’d nevertheless spent “almost $1 million” on a “full refit inside and outside”.
But the boat builder Harwood Marine confirmed the cost was half that and included new toilet, carpet, bar, seating, propeller, piping, generator and paint job.
“It’s all new,” Harwood Marine general manager Giovanni Cervella said.
A private surveyor has given My Way approval to leave the Harwood marina on the Clarence River near Yamba and the vessel is to cruise back to Sydney Harbour in around a week.
The vessel must be inspected by the Australian Maritime Safety Authority before a prohibition order is lifted and My Way is granted fit for commercial operation.
Five of the seven vessels in the All Occasion Cruises fleet were found to have pipes which could illegally pump effluent directly into Sydney Harbour but all but the Lady Rose aka My Way have been approved to continue operating commercially after passing inspections.
Marine Area Command within the NSW Police, state Roads and Maritime and the AMSA are concluding investigations into the circumstances around Ms Hussein’s death.
A police spokeswoman said yesterday a brief was being prepared for the coroner.
