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Police to probe second Ruby Princess voyage as part of criminal investigation
By Lucy Cormack and Michaela Whitbourn
More than 5000 passengers who travelled on the last two voyages of the embattled Ruby Princess cruise ship will be called on as part of the criminal investigation being led by NSW Police.
State Crime Commander Assistant Commissioner Stuart Smith on Friday said passengers who travelled on an earlier voyage of the ship, between February 24 and March 8, were being called upon for the first time to assist with enquiries by any government body.
The Ruby Princess cruise ship docked in Port Kembla.Credit: Louise Kennerley
The thousands of passengers, as well as crew members on both voyages, have been asked to complete an online survey, with questions related to health practices on board and any other information gleaned while on board.
More than 2900 passengers travelled on board the ship in late February, while around 2600 were on board during the ship's most recent journey, which has been linked to the deaths of 19 Australians and over 600 cases of coronavirus.
The goal, he said, is to "triage" people.
"This will allow us to zero in on elements of the cruise that we are interested in... [to go] hand in hand with the examination of the [black box] and ship-to-shore communications, which are critical in terms of the second cruise," Assistant Commissioner Smith said.
The passenger questionnaire includes questions 12 questions, such as "Did you see or were you aware of any extra cleaning taking place?"
Other questions ask about medical treatment on board, dining times and whether there were "any announcements made about ways to avoid contracting any illness such as COVID-19."
The questionnaire also asks passengers to confirm if they took an offshore tours in ports along the route and whether they saw any passengers or crew members "being separated or quarantined."
Earlier this week, the NSW government announced that a separate royal commission-style inquiry into the cruise ship debacle would be led by Sydney barrister Bret Walker, SC.
On Friday Mr Walker said he would "try and beat" the four-month time limit he had been given, adding that there would likely be public hearings that do not involve "a crowded hearing room".
"Our task involves finding out the facts ... We won't shrink from pointing to matters to the credit or discredit of persons and agencies involved in the unhappy narrative."
Strike Force Bast was established by detectives from State Crime, Counter Terrorism and Special Tactics and Marine Area Commands to conduct enquiries in the docking and disembarkation of the Ruby Princess at Sydney Harbour on March 19.
Assistant Commissioner Smith on Friday said footage and other data from passengers would be sought by officers using techniques employed in investigating the recent bushfires "because of the large number" of people involved.
"We’ve developed data systems to gather [evidence]; we've got a lot of footage already. We expect a lot of footage in the future. As we did with the bushfire investigation," he said.
NSW Minister for Police and Emergency Services David Elliott said the investigation would also draw on international agencies that may be required to take statements and assist in gathering evidence.
"There is no rule book when it comes to these sort of enquiries," he said.
"This is going to be an investigation like no other, because of the sheer numbers of those that will be providing evidence and those that may be called as witnesses."
Information relevant to the circumstances surrounding the deaths of people who either contracted COVID-19 on board the vessel or through contact with a passenger will be reported to the NSW Coroner’s Court.
The State Coroner will not make a decision about whether an inquest will be held until after completion of the criminal investigation and the Special Commission of Inquiry, announced earlier this week.
Any passengers that travelled on either voyage of the Ruby Princess are urged to contact Crime Stoppers if they have not received an electronic survey from NSW Police in the next seven days.