Passengers on ill-fated cruise ship flown home after tragic Lizard Island death of 80-year-old | Queensland
All passengers on the ill-fated luxury Coral Adventurer ship have been disembarked and the ship is heading to Cairns, where the investigation into the tragic death of 80-year-old passenger Suzanne Rees will continue.
While the ship remained near Thursday Island in the Torres Strait, the passengers packed their bags and left the ship to return home.
The ship, operated by Coral Expeditions, is understood to arrive early this week. It originally planned to disembark in Darwin but after the voyage was cut short it was rerouted to Cairns, where the ship is usually based.
Mark Fifield, CEO of Coral Expeditions, said the company prides itself on “delivering high-quality experiences to our guests.”
“Given the circumstances of the past week, it has become increasingly clear that we will not be able to deliver on this promise,” he said on Saturday.
Rees and his fellow passengers boarded Coral Expeditions’ 120-guest Coral Adventurer in Cairns on Friday, October 24. Rooms with balconies on the cruise, which had a crew of 46 on the 94.5-foot custom-built ship, cost $86,400 per person, according to Clean Cruising.
The ship arrived at Lizard Island on 25 October as part of a 60-day circumnavigation of Australia. Rees was forced to withdraw from a planned walk to the island’s Cook’s Look summit.
Her daughter, Katherine Rees, said her mother felt unwell and was asked to go downstairs unescorted. He never returned to the ship.
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Coral Adventurer left Lizard Island at 15.40 last Saturday. It took five hours for authorities to be alerted to his disappearance and to launch a search-and-rescue operation on land and at sea.
Rees was found dead the next day.
Katherine Rees said the family was “shocked and saddened” when the ship left the island without her mother after the trip.
timeline
Coral Adventurer timeline
To show
Times are local Queensland time.
17.30
Coral Adventurer leaves Cairns.
8:30 am
The Coral Adventurer arrives on the west side of Lizard Island.
15:40
The Coral Adventurer leaves Lizard Island and heads northwest towards Cape Melville.
20:43
Between Barrow Reef and Unison Reef in Cape Melville national park, the ship makes a sudden turn and begins heading south.
03:25
The Coral Adventurer returns to Lizard Island.
18:55
The Coral Adventurer leaves Lizard Island for the second time and heads back to Cape York.
12:15
The Mercan Adventurer passes the point where he returned before.
The Australian Maritime Safety Authority (Amsa) said on Saturday it had issued a notice to the ship’s captain “prohibiting new passengers from boarding”.
After the newsletter launch
The security official said Amsa personnel would greet the ship when it docked in Cairns.
Amsa is investigating why Rees may not have been taken into account during boarding.
Fifield said passengers and crew were informed on Wednesday that “following the tragic death of Suzanne Rees and previous mechanical issues, the decision has been made to cancel the remainder of the voyage.”
“Passengers have been told they will receive a full refund,” he said in a statement on Saturday.
“Since then, our team has worked alongside the crew and the ship to coordinate the return journeys of passengers via charter flights.”
Amsa and Fifield expressed their condolences to Rees’ family and loved ones.
A Queensland police spokesman said the death was “unsuspicious”, which will be investigated by a coroner.
