Featured Image Credit: Bahnfrend/Wikimedia
Topics: Cruise ship, Australia
Callum Jones
A cruise ship went aground on its first trip since a passenger died after allegedly being left behind on a private island.
The Coral Adventurer, an Australian cruise ship, had 120 passengers on board when it collided with a reef off the coast of Papua New Guinea on Saturday (December 27) morning.
Coral Expeditions, the company that operates the ship, has said no one was hurt following the incident.
"Coral Adventurer had a grounding incident in coastal Papua New Guinea yesterday. All passengers and crew are safe," a spokesperson for the company said.
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"An initial inspection indicates no damage to the vessel. The incident has been reported to authorities and will undergo further official inspections to the hull and marine environment as a standard procedure."
Passengers who were on board the ship are said to be staying in Papua New Guinea as a team attempts to move the ship into deeper waters while also checking the hull.
The Coral Adventurer is currently under investigation following the death of 80-year-old Suzanne Rees in October, who was allegedly left on a remote island.
Rees, a retired mom from New South Wales, Australia, was hiking on Lizard Island with other passengers, but had broken off from the group to rest.
When she failed to board the ship, the vessel allegedly departed without her.
Rescue helicopter workers then found her body the next day, with her death being described as 'sudden and non-suspicious' by Queensland Police Service.
Speaking to The Australian, Rees' daughter Katherine said: "We understand from the police that it was a very hot day, and mom fell ill on the hill climb.
“She was asked to head down, unescorted. Then the ship left, apparently without doing a passenger count.
"At some stage in that sequence, or shortly after, mom died, alone.
“I hope that the coronial inquiry will find out what the company should have done that might have saved mom’s life."
Mark Fifield, CEO of Coral Expeditions, said in a statement that passengers and crew had been informed that the rest of the cruise had been canceled due to the 'tragic passing of Suzanne Rees and previous mechanical issues'.
He said that passengers would be refunded and said the company was working 'to coordinate the return journeys of the passengers via chartered flights'.
In a previous statement, Fifield said: “Coral Expeditions can confirm the tragic death of a passenger on the Coral Adventurer during an excursion to Lizard Island in Queensland.
“On Saturday, October 25, the crew notified authorities that a woman was missing, and a search and rescue operation was launched on land and sea.
"Following the operation, Coral Expeditions was notified by Queensland Police that the woman had been found deceased on Lizard Island."
LADbible Group has previously contacted Coral Expeditions for comment.