Sydney (Parliament Politics Magazine) – An Australian cruise ship under investigation for leaving a passenger behind ran aground near Papua New Guinea, with all 120 on board reported safe.
As reported by Cait Kelly of The Guardian, the Coral Adventurer, an Australian cruise ship under investigation for allegedly leaving a passenger behind who later died, ran aground off Papua New Guinea with over 120 people aboard.
How did the Coral Adventurer run aground while under investigation?
Early Saturday, 27 December, Coral Expeditions confirmed the cruise ship Coral Adventurer ran aground about 30km from PNG’s Lae, but all aboard are safe.
The spokesperson said,
“Coral Adventurer had a grounding incident in coastal Papua New Guinea yesterday. All passengers and crew are safe.”
They added,
“An initial inspection indicates no damage to the vessel. The incident has been reported to authorities and will undergo further official inspections to the hull and marine environment as a standard procedure.”
The ship’s team examined the hull and attempted to refloat it, with passengers staying safe in Papua New Guinea.
A spokesperson for the Australian Maritime Safety Authority said no distress call had been received from the Coral Adventurer. They added that the situation was being closely monitored and support would be provided if needed.
The Coral Adventurer is under investigation after the death of 80-year-old Suzanne Rees, who left her hiking group on Lizard Island during the cruise’s second day.
On Sunday, 26 October, her body was located on Lizard Island after authorities conducted land and sea searches when the ship’s crew noticed she was missing.
The crew noticed Rees was absent after she failed to appear for dinner around 6 pm. At 8:43 pm, the Coral Adventurer changed course and steamed back toward Lizard Island, with satellite data showing the vessel was roughly 100km away at the time.
The tour was brought to an early close, with the company arranging flights to return all passengers home from the Torres Strait Islands.
The company’s chief executive officer, Mark Fifield, said,
“following the tragic passing of Suzanne Rees and previous mechanical issues, the decision had been made to cancel the remainder of the voyage”
confirming that passengers would receive a full refund.
According to Clean Cruising, the 120-guest passenger cruise charges $86,400 per person for balcony rooms.
Commenting on the passenger’s death, Mr Fifield said staff had reached out to the woman’s family and were providing support following the “tragic death.”
He said,
“While investigations into the incident are continuing, we are deeply sorry that this has occurred and are offering our full support to the woman’s family.”
Mr Fifield added,
“We are working closely with Queensland Police and other authorities to support their investigation. We are unable to comment further while this process is under way.”
What did the eyewitness say about the island search and body discovery?
Eyewitness Traci Ayris said that during her late-October sail near the island, she saw a helicopter scanning a walking trail with a spotlight around midnight.
According to her, about seven people with torches went to the island, but the operation was called off around 03:00. The helicopter returned when the body was reportedly located.
She added,
“We knew she was dead because they called everyone back from the search immediately. And no-one went to the spot that the chopper was hovering over until later that day when the police arrived.”
When did the Coral Adventurer start sailing for the first time?
The Coral Adventurer began its service with a series of official events and its first passenger voyage on April 23, 2019.
The cruise ship started on its sold-out maiden passenger voyage, an 18-day expedition titled “In the Trail of Tasman,” from Singapore to Darwin on April 24, 2019.
The vessel was built in Vietnam and was delivered to the cruise operator, Coral Expeditions, in April 2019 before its inaugural season.
