Coral Adventurer cancels Darwin visit, refunds passengers
A cruise ship at the centre of a serious investigation has been forced to abandon its visit to Darwin, with authorities confirming they now intend to board the vessel at an alternative location.
A cruise ship at the centre of a serious investigation has been forced to abandon its visit to Darwin, with authorities confirming they now intend to board the vessel at an alternative location.
The popular Coral Adventurer, a regular to Darwin, made headlines last week following the death of one of its passengers, Suzanne Rees, who was accidentally left behind on Lizard Island off the Far North Queensland coast.
The 80 year-old Sydneysider had been hiking to the island’s highest peak on October 25 when, after becoming tired, she opted to leave her group and return to the ship.
Tragically, the Coral Adventurer left the island that afternoon without Ms Rees – returning when her absence was discovered five hours later.
Crew members searched the track by torchlight but to no avail, despite the assistance of a rescue helicopter.
Ultimately, Ms Rees’ body was discovered at first light the following morning.
Within days of the tragedy, passengers and crew were informed a decision had been made to cancel the remainder of the voyage.
Originally, the ship was scheduled to dock in Darwin at Fort Hill Wharf, this weekend to collect more passengers.
It was also expected Australian Maritime Safety Authority officials would board the vessel upon its arrival to continue its investigation into the circumstances around Ms Rees separation and death.
However on Saturday morning, an ASMA spokesperson said investigators would now meet the vessel at an alternative location.
“We have issued a notice to the Master of Coral Adventurer prohibiting the embarkation of any new passengers,” they told this masthead.
“AMSA understands the Coral Adventurer is now intending to return to Cairns where AMSA will board it on arrival.”
Coral Expeditions chief executive officer, Mark Fifield, told the Cairns Post passengers would receive a full refund for the voyage’s premature end.
“Since that time, our team has worked to co-ordinate the return journeys of the passengers via chartered flights, as well as the crew and the vessel,” he said.
“The Coral team prides itself on delivering high quality experiences to our guests.”
Other stakeholders involved in the investigation include Queensland Police, the state coroner and Workplace Health and Safety Queensland.
Cruise ships and reef boats are legally required to conduct passenger headcounts which are a mandatory part of the safety regulations for domestic commercial vessels, however the missing guest has raised questions about adherence to safety protocols.
It is not the first tragedy in North Queensland involving tourists being left behind.
In 1998, American divers Tom and Eileen Lonergan were left behind at St. Crispin’s Reef never to be seen again.
The Lonergans were with a group scuba-diving trip aboard MV Outer Edge. The boat crew did not note their absences until two days later,
Their presumed deaths led to tighter safety regulations for dive boats in Australia, especially concerning passenger headcounts.
Additionally, the Australian Government has provided in-principle support for stronger penalties for safety breaches resulting in loss of life after a Senate committee report into the performance of the Australian Maritime Safety Authority in 2021 was convened after the death of Damien Mills in Western Australia.
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Originally published as Coral Adventurer cancels Darwin visit, refunds passengers
