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One two-month voyage circling the Land Down Under has been cancelled following the fatal incident of an elderly lady who was left behind by the vessel on a isolated island.

Suzanne Rees had been hiking on Lizard Island with shipmates from the Coral Adventurer, but broke off from the party for a rest. The ship left without her and went back several hours later after the crew became aware the lady was not present.

A major search operation discovered her remains the following day.

Officials are examining the incident, together with investigators and the state coroner.

Chief Executive of the shipping company said that passengers and staff on the ship were notified that the continuation of the voyage had been called off due to the "sad loss and previous engine troubles".

In a statement, he added that guests would be provided a total repayment, and said the company was working "to arrange the travel back of the travelers via chartered flights".

Authorities also released an latest communication, and said they had "issued a directive to the Captain" banning any new passengers from boarding the ship.

The representative said that they would visit the ship in the port city upon its arrival.

Timeline of Incidents

The liner initially left Cairns on 24 October, and was only 48 hours into the journey at the moment of the elderly woman's passing. The remote island was the initial destination on the voyage.

Guests on the vessel - who typically pay substantial amounts of money to participate in the expedition - were ferried there for a day trip with the choice of hiking or snorkeling.

Family Statement

The child of the elderly passenger said that her family was "surprised and saddened that the liner left the island after an scheduled outing without my mother".

Via her announcement, she described her mum as an "active 80-year-old" who was a participant of a bushwalking club.

"Based on limited information we have been informed, it looks that there was a breakdown of responsibility and ordinary reasoning," she said.

She continued that she wished the examination would be able to identify what "the operator should have done that might have saved Her existence".

"We understand from the police that it was a very hot day, and she fell ill on the hill climb," she stated.

"Officials suggested her to return, unescorted. Then the boat departed, apparently without doing a headcount.

"At some stage in that process, or not long after, mother died, alone."

Organization Response

Through an announcement, the CEO affirmed that the operator was "cooperating fully with authorities to aid their investigation".

He mentioned that the company was "deeply sorry that this has occurred" and had extended its full support to the family.

Cruise Industry Procedures

The vessel accommodates up to one hundred twenty passengers with forty-six crew, according to official information. It was specifically designed to enter isolated areas of the nation's coast and is equipped with "small boats" - minor craft used to transport passengers on shore trips.

Events like this are rare, and cruise ships have procedures to record which travelers are boarding or disembarking, according to industry experts.

"Sneaking ashore or [back] on the ship just isn't an choice," a specialist commented.

Vessel operators regard these methods extremely carefully and have "advanced technology in place to avoid such occurrences from happening," the expert added.

"This seems to be probably a stunning - and tragic - one-off."