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An extensive 60-day journey circling the Australian Coast has been cancelled in the wake of the death of an senior woman who was stranded by the vessel on a isolated coastal location.

The elderly woman had been trekking on the remote island with fellow passengers from the cruise ship, but broke off from the group for a rest. The liner departed without her and came back later that day after the personnel realised the woman was unaccounted for.

A large-scale search operation discovered her body the following day.

Officials are examining the tragedy, together with investigators and the medical examiner.

The CEO of the voyage organizer said that travelers and personnel on the ship were notified that the remainder of the cruise had been called off due to the "unfortunate death and previous engine troubles".

Through an announcement, he added that passengers would be issued a total repayment, and said the organization was working "to coordinate the homeward trips of the passengers via chartered flights".

Authorities also issued an updated communication, and said they had "issued a directive to the Commander" preventing any additional guests from boarding the ship.

The representative said that they would visit the liner in the port city upon its arrival.

Timeline of Incidents

The vessel first departed the Australian port on October 24th, and was only 48 hours into the journey at the time of the 80-year-old's death. Lizard Island was the initial destination on the journey.

Guests on board - who generally pay large sums of dollars to take part in the expedition - were taken there for a day trip with the option of trekking or underwater exploration.

Next of Kin Statement

The child of the deceased woman said that her relatives was "shocked and saddened that the vessel left the location after an scheduled excursion without my mum".

In her statement, she portrayed her mum as an "energetic 80-year-old" who was a member of a walking group.

"Based on limited facts we have been told, it seems that there was a failure of attention and basic judgment," she said.

She continued that she desired the investigation would be able to pinpoint what "the operator should have performed that might have protected Mum's existence".

"We understand from the investigators that it was a very hot afternoon, and mum took sick on the mountain ascent," she explained.

"Officials suggested her to head down, alone. Then the vessel sailed away, apparently without conducting a headcount.

"At a certain moment in that chain of events, or not long after, mother passed away, alone."

Company Reaction

Through an announcement, the Chief Executive confirmed that the operator was "collaborating extensively with officials to support their inquiry".

He said that the firm was "deeply sorry that this has happened" and had offered its total backing to the relatives.

Shipping Sector Procedures

The vessel accommodates up to a hundred twenty passengers with nearly fifty crew, according to corporate data. It was specially constructed to reach remote regions of Australia's coastline and is outfitted with "small boats" - small boats used to ferry travelers on day excursions.

Occurrences such as this are rare, and passenger vessels have systems to document which individuals are embarking or disembarking, according to maritime specialists.

"Leaving covertly or [back] onboard just isn't an possibility," a specialist remarked.

Vessel operators regard these methods very seriously and have "sophisticated systems in place to avoid such incidents from occurring," the expert added.

"This appears to be most likely a shocking - and unfortunate - one-off."