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One two-month journey circling the Australian Coast is being halted following the fatal incident of an elderly woman who was stranded by the ship on a remote tropical isle.

Suzanne Rees had been walking on the remote island with fellow passengers from the vessel, but parted ways from the excursion for a break. The ship departed without her and came back several hours later after the crew became aware the passenger was not present.

A major rescue mission found her remains the next day.

Officials are investigating the tragedy, alongside investigators and the state coroner.

Head of the voyage organizer announced that travelers and crew on the Coral Adventurer were informed that the continuation of the voyage had been called off due to the "tragic passing and earlier mechanical issues".

Through an announcement, he mentioned that passengers would be issued a total repayment, and said the company was working "to organize the homeward trips of the individuals via private aircraft".

Officials also released an latest statement, and said they had "issued a order to the Commander" preventing any new passengers from getting on the ship.

The spokesperson said that they would attend the vessel in the Australian city upon its coming back.

Timeline of Incidents

The ship first departed the Australian port on 24 October, and was merely two days into the journey at the moment of the senior passenger's demise. The remote island was the first stop on the itinerary.

Travelers on the ship - who generally pay substantial amounts of currency to join the cruise - were transported there for a day trip with the possibility of trekking or snorkeling.

Family Reaction

The offspring of the deceased woman said that her relatives was "shocked and saddened that the liner left Lizard Island after an scheduled excursion without my parent".

In her statement, she portrayed her mum as an "active elderly person" who was a member of a bushwalking club.

"According to scant facts we have been informed, it appears that there was a lapse of responsibility and ordinary reasoning," she said.

She added that she desired the examination would be able to determine what "the operator should have done that might have saved Mother's life".

"We understand from the police that it was a exceptionally warm afternoon, and mum took sick on the hill climb," she explained.

"They requested her to go back, alone. Then the boat sailed away, seemingly without conducting a passenger count.

"At some stage in that process, or soon after, mum succumbed, without company."

Operator Position

In a statement, the Chief Executive affirmed that the operator was "working closely with authorities to assist their examination".

He said that the firm was "very regretful that this has occurred" and had extended its total backing to the relatives.

Cruise Industry Procedures

The ship serves up to a hundred twenty passengers with forty-six personnel, according to official details. It was specially constructed to access remote locations of the Australian coastline and is outfitted with "tenders" - compact vessels used to transport individuals on shore trips.

Occurrences like this are rare, and passenger vessels have protocols to document which passengers are embarking or disembarking, according to maritime specialists.

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

Cruise lines consider these processes very seriously and have "clever tech in place to avoid such events from happening," the authority further stated.

"This seems to be probably a surprising - and tragic - single occurrence."