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One two-month voyage around Australia is being halted in the wake of the tragic passing of an older woman who was abandoned by the ship on a isolated island.

The passenger had been trekking on the remote island with other travelers from the cruise ship, but parted ways from the excursion for a pause. The vessel departed without her and came back after some time after the ship staff realised the woman was missing.

An extensive hunt discovered her body the following day.

Officials are investigating the tragedy, in coordination with police and the medical examiner.

Chief Executive of the shipping company stated that travelers and crew on the ship were notified that the remainder of the cruise had been cancelled due to the "tragic passing and earlier engine troubles".

In a statement, he further stated that guests would be issued a full refund, and said the organization was working "to coordinate the homeward trips of the individuals via chartered flights".

Regulatory bodies also published an latest communication, and said they had "provided a order to the Master" preventing any new passengers from entering the liner.

The spokesperson said that they would inspect the ship in the Australian city upon its return.

Chronology of Events

The ship first departed Cairns on 24 October, and was only 48 hours into the journey at the moment of the 80-year-old's demise. Lizard Island was the first stop on the itinerary.

Guests on board - who generally pay substantial amounts of money to take part in the expedition - were taken there for a shore visit with the option of walking or snorkelling.

Relatives Reaction

The offspring of the elderly passenger said that her relatives was "shocked and distressed that the vessel left the island after an scheduled excursion without my parent".

Through her comments, she portrayed her mother as an "vigorous octogenarian" who was a participant of a bushwalking club.

"From the little facts we have been told, it seems that there was a breakdown of responsibility and basic judgment," she said.

She further stated that she wished the investigation would be able to determine what "the operator should have performed that might have preserved Mother's life".

"According to reports from the investigators that it was a extremely warm afternoon, and mum became unwell on the hill climb," she revealed.

"She was asked her to go back, alone. Then the vessel departed, apparently without performing a passenger count.

"At some stage in that chain of events, or shortly after, mum died, without company."

Operator Position

Via official communication, the Chief Executive confirmed that the operator was "collaborating extensively with officials to aid their investigation".

He said that the organization was "deeply sorry that this has happened" and had extended its full support to the family.

Cruise Industry Procedures

The vessel caters for up to one hundred twenty guests with forty-six personnel, according to corporate data. It was purpose-built to access remote areas of Australia's coastline and is outfitted with "tenders" - small boats used to ferry travelers on day excursions.

Events of this nature are infrequent, and passenger vessels have systems to record which individuals are embarking or leaving, according to travel authorities.

"Going ashore secretly or [back] aboard really isn't an option," one expert stated.

Cruise lines regard these methods extremely carefully and have "advanced technology in place to prevent such occurrences from occurring," the authority continued.

"This seems to be presumably a shocking - and sad - isolated incident."