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One two-month voyage around Australia has been cancelled days after the tragic passing of an elderly woman who was left behind by the ship on a isolated tropical isle.

Suzanne Rees had been trekking on the remote island with other travelers from the vessel, but separated from the excursion for a break. The ship left without her and went back after some time after the personnel discovered the woman was not present.

A major rescue mission located her body the next day.

Investigative bodies are examining the tragedy, alongside police and the official investigator.

Head of the shipping company said that passengers and personnel on the vessel were informed that the remainder of the journey had been cancelled due to the "unfortunate death and prior engine troubles".

In a statement, he added that guests would be issued a full refund, and said the operator was working "to arrange the homeward trips of the passengers via chartered flights".

Officials also issued an latest communication, and said they had "provided a order to the Master" prohibiting any further travelers from getting on the liner.

The official said that they would attend the vessel in Cairns upon its coming back.

Sequence of Events

The ship first departed the coastal city on 24 October, and was merely two days into the expedition at the moment of the elderly woman's death. The remote island was the initial destination on the journey.

Travelers on the ship - who generally pay large sums of currency to participate in the expedition - were transported there for a daily excursion with the option of walking or snorkelling.

Next of Kin Statement

The offspring of the victim said that her loved ones was "shocked and distressed that the ship left Lizard Island after an planned tour without my mum".

In her statement, she described her parent as an "energetic 80-year-old" who was a participant of a hiking organization.

"Based on limited information we have been informed, it looks that there was a failure of attention and ordinary reasoning," she stated.

She further stated that she desired the examination would be able to determine what "the operator should have done that might have saved Mum's existence".

"Based on information from the investigators that it was a exceptionally warm day, and she fell ill on the mountain ascent," she stated.

"They requested her to return, without accompaniment. Then the ship departed, seemingly without conducting a headcount.

"At some stage in that chain of events, or shortly after, she succumbed, alone."

Organization Reaction

Via official communication, the Chief Executive affirmed that the organization was "working closely with investigators to aid their inquiry".

He mentioned that the firm was "extremely apologetic that this has happened" and had offered its total backing to the relatives.

Shipping Sector Practices

The liner serves up to 120 guests with forty-six staff, according to corporate details. It was specially constructed to access isolated regions of Australia's coast and is fitted with "tenders" - compact vessels used to take passengers on shore trips.

Occurrences of this nature are rare, and passenger vessels have protocols to document which travelers are getting on or getting off, according to industry experts.

"Leaving covertly or [back] aboard really isn't an possibility," an authority commented.

Vessel operators consider these methods with great importance and have "clever tech in place to stop such occurrences from occurring," the expert added.

"This is most likely a surprising - and unfortunate - isolated incident."