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A two-month cruise circling the Land Down Under has been cancelled days after the tragic passing of an older lady who was stranded by the vessel on a isolated island.

The elderly woman had been trekking on the remote island with fellow passengers from the vessel, but parted ways from the party for a rest. The liner sailed away leaving her and went back several hours later after the ship staff became aware the lady was not present.

A large-scale search operation discovered her person the subsequent day.

Officials are looking into the event, in coordination with law enforcement and the medical examiner.

Chief Executive of the shipping company announced that guests and personnel on the ship were told that the remainder of the voyage had been called off due to the "tragic passing and previous technical problems".

Via official communication, he mentioned that travelers would be issued a complete reimbursement, and said the operator was working "to arrange the travel back of the travelers via chartered flights".

Regulatory bodies also published an updated announcement, and said they had "issued a directive to the Captain" banning any new passengers from boarding the vessel.

The representative said that they would visit the vessel in Cairns upon its return.

Chronology of Events

The ship initially left the coastal city on 24 October, and was just two days into the voyage at the moment of the elderly woman's passing. Lizard Island was the initial destination on the voyage.

Guests on board - who usually pay tens of thousands of dollars to participate in the expedition - were taken there for a day trip with the choice of walking or snorkelling.

Family Statement

The daughter of the elderly passenger said that her relatives was "shocked and saddened that the liner left Lizard Island after an organised excursion without my parent".

In her statement, she characterized her mum as an "active elderly person" who was a member of a walking group.

"According to scant information we have been told, it looks that there was a lapse of care and common sense," she stated.

She added that she hoped the examination would be able to determine what "the organization should have undertaken that might have preserved Mother's being".

"We understand from the investigators that it was a extremely warm period, and mother took sick on the hill climb," she stated.

"She was asked her to return, without accompaniment. Then the ship sailed away, seemingly without doing a headcount.

"At some stage in that chain of events, or soon after, mum passed away, without company."

Organization Response

Through an announcement, the Chief Executive confirmed that the company was "working closely with authorities to aid their inquiry".

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

Cruise Industry Practices

The ship caters for up to one hundred twenty passengers with forty-six crew, according to corporate data. It was specifically designed to reach remote locations of Australia's coast and is equipped with "small boats" - small boats used to transport passengers on shore trips.

Incidents such as this are rare, and liners have systems to track which individuals are embarking or disembarking, according to industry experts.

"Going ashore secretly or [back] on the ship really isn't an choice," one expert remarked.

Shipping companies take these procedures with great importance and have "sophisticated systems in place to avoid such incidents from occurring," the specialist added.

"This seems to be most likely a stunning - and tragic - one-off."