Cruise safety in spotlight after missed Coral Expeditions headcount
A maritime safety auditor has called out a cruise company in the aftermath of a grandmother’s death at Lizard Island and a bungled headcount while advocating for the use GPS trackers.
A veteran maritime safety auditor has called out a Cairns cruise company in the aftermath of a passenger death at Lizard Island and a bungled headcount, while advocating for the use of potentially lifesaving GPS trackers.
At the weekend Sydney woman Suzanne Rees died on the island after turning back from a group hike and was left behind by the boutique cruise ship, the Coral Adventurer.
Ms Rees has been remembered by her family as a healthy, active woman who enjoyed gardening and was a keen member of a bushwalking group.
Her daughter, Katherine Rees, said Suzanne’s family was “shocked and saddened that the ship left Lizard Island after an organised excursion without my mum, Suzanne”.
“We understand from the police that it was a very hot day, and Mum fell ill on the hill climb,” she said.
“She was asked to head down, unescorted. Then the ship left, apparently without doing a passenger count.
“At some stage in that sequence, or shortly after, Mum died, alone.”
Ms Rees has also called for a coronial investigation into her mum’s death.
The 80-year-old was on the trip of a lifetime aboard a cruise ship that anchored at Coconut Bay off Lizard Island on the first stop of a 60-day Australian circumnavigation after departing Cairns on Friday, October 24.
After arriving at Lizard Island, the next day Ms Rees set off on a guided hike to the island’s highest peak but left the group early due to fatigue and began a solo descent of the mountain.
However she never made it down the hill and Coral Adventurer left without her at 3.40pm.
According to Australian Maritime Safety Authority records the vessel didn’t raise the alarm until 9pm which left a five hour and 20 minute delay before a search was organised.
When the search did at last get underway and a rescue helicopter arrived at the island, 270km north of Cairns, Ms Rees couldn’t be found.
Her body was located on Sunday morning by the rescue helicopter just meters from the Cooks Look track.
Association of Marine Park Tourism Operators chief executive Gareth Phillips has defended Coral Expeditions based on the company’s historical safety record.
“The operator involved in this tragedy is a longstanding and highly respected business within our industry, known for maintaining exceptional safety standards and a strong safety record,” he said.
“The company is co-operating fully with authorities during the ongoing investigation.
“As an industry, we remain committed to working closely with all relevant authorities to ensure the highest possible safety standards are upheld.”
But despite claims by the marine park operator peak body that its members operate under exceptionally robust safety standards, veteran master mariner and maritime safety auditor Kersi Khambatta said he felt more could be done to raise those standards to a higher level.
“If they had such standards, they would not be in this position or in the news.” he said.
“As an industry, to claim they ensure ‘the highest possible safety standards’ is also incorrect, these are the minimum standards.
“You could simply have GPS tracking on all passengers and this would be resolved.”
Some large cruise lines use keycard scans for embarking and disembarking passengers and wearable ship‑based Bluetooth technology, however it is understood Coral Expeditions relies on AMSA‑mandated passenger headcounts.
Coral Expeditions declined to answer questions about the loss of life but did state usual skipper of the Coral Adventurer captain Matthew Fryer was not in charge of the ship at the time of the incident.
“The circumstances of her tragic death are the subject of official investigations. We are fully co-operating with those investigations to determine the facts. For this reason, it would be inappropriate to comment further on the investigations while they are underway,” Coral Expeditions chief executive Mark Fifield said.
Queensland Police, the state coroner, Workplace Health and Safety Queensland, and the Australian Maritime Safety Authority are all investigating the death of the woman after she did not board the vessel on Saturday afternoon.
AMSA officials are expected to meet the ship at its next port of call at Darwin and begin investigations into the incident.
More Coverage
Originally published as Cruise safety in spotlight after missed Coral Expeditions headcount
The great HECS debt slashing begins – how much will you save?
