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One two-month journey circling the Australian Coast has been cancelled following the fatal incident of an older woman who was stranded by the vessel on a remote tropical isle.

Suzanne Rees had been hiking on the remote island with fellow passengers from the vessel, but broke off from the excursion for a rest. The ship departed without her and came back later that day after the crew realised the woman was missing.

An extensive rescue mission located her remains the following day.

Investigative bodies are examining the incident, together with investigators and the medical examiner.

Chief Executive of the shipping company announced that passengers and crew on the ship were told that the rest of the journey had been called off due to the "unfortunate death and previous engine troubles".

In a statement, he mentioned that passengers would be provided a full refund, and said the company was working "to arrange the return journeys of the passengers via chartered flights".

Regulatory bodies also published an latest announcement, and said they had "delivered a notice to the Captain" preventing any further travelers from getting on the liner.

The representative said that they would inspect the ship in Cairns upon its return.

Sequence of Events

The liner first departed the coastal city on 24 October, and was merely two days into the journey at the point of the 80-year-old's passing. The remote island was the first stop on the itinerary.

Passengers on the vessel - who usually pay substantial amounts of dollars to take part in the cruise - were taken there for a shore visit with the option of hiking or underwater exploration.

Relatives Reaction

The child of the deceased woman said that her relatives was "stunned and grieved that the liner left the location after an organised tour without my mum".

In her statement, she portrayed her mother as an "vigorous 80-year-old" who was a affiliate of a walking organization.

"According to scant information we have been informed, it appears that there was a failure of care and basic judgment," she said.

She continued that she wished the examination would be able to identify what "the operator should have undertaken that might have preserved Mother's existence".

"We understand from the investigators that it was a very hot afternoon, and mum fell ill on the hill climb," she revealed.

"Officials suggested her to go back, alone. Then the vessel departed, apparently without conducting a passenger count.

"At a certain moment in that chain of events, or soon after, she passed away, by herself."

Company Position

Through an announcement, the CEO verified that the organization was "working closely with investigators to aid their examination".

He stated that the organization was "deeply sorry that this has happened" and had provided its total backing to the loved ones.

Cruise Industry Practices

The vessel caters for up to one hundred twenty guests with nearly fifty personnel, according to corporate data. It was specifically designed to access isolated areas of the Australian coast and is equipped with "tenders" - small boats used to ferry passengers on land visits.

Incidents of this nature are uncommon, and cruise ships have procedures to document which individuals are boarding or disembarking, according to industry experts.

"Leaving covertly or [back] aboard just isn't an choice," a specialist commented.

Shipping companies take these procedures extremely carefully and have "sophisticated systems in place to prevent such events from happening," the specialist continued.

"This is most likely a surprising - and sad - one-off."