How on earth can this happen?
Discussion
On the very first stop of a 60-day cruise around Australia an 80 year old woman who had felt the need to stop and have a rest on the way back from climbing a hill on a Tropical Island gets left behind by the ship. Ship realises some hours later, turns around to look for her, but she's dead when found.
Safety 101, surely, as Brian Hanrahan famously once said in a different context, 'I counted them all out, and I counted them all back'.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c62eww646wjo
Safety 101, surely, as Brian Hanrahan famously once said in a different context, 'I counted them all out, and I counted them all back'.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c62eww646wjo
Nope. If you aren't back on time your passport is offloaded with the agent and the ship leaves (including crew). Unless you are on an organised tour in which case it will wait. Standard practice, or at least it was during my time on board.
Can you imagine how many would take advantage if they knew the ship would wait?
Can you imagine how many would take advantage if they knew the ship would wait?
It's a strange one because per above, cruise ships are absolutely rigourous in scanning every guest off the ship and back on again and if you're not back on, you get left behind.
However in this case - it's a tiny ship of 120 passengers so it seems quite crazy that they weren't aware they were one short.
However in this case - it's a tiny ship of 120 passengers so it seems quite crazy that they weren't aware they were one short.
WH16 said:
Nope. If you aren't back on time your passport is offloaded with the agent and the ship leaves (including crew). Unless you are on an organised tour in which case it will wait. Standard practice, or at least it was during my time on board.
Can you imagine how many would take advantage if they knew the ship would wait?
Bespoke 60-day cruise on a small ship which stopped at an uninhabited island for a group to clim a hill. Are you sure that standard procedures apply there in the way they would in Bridgetown?Can you imagine how many would take advantage if they knew the ship would wait?
WH16 said:
Nope. If you aren't back on time your passport is offloaded with the agent and the ship leaves (including crew). Unless you are on an organised tour in which case it will wait. Standard practice, or at least it was during my time on board.
Can you imagine how many would take advantage if they knew the ship would wait?
This. If you're not back in time they will leave without you. I didn't know they hold you're passport Another reason cruses are council AF.Can you imagine how many would take advantage if they knew the ship would wait?
It is hilarious watching videos of people running after a departing cruise ship on YouTube though.
captain_cynic said:
This. If you're not back in time they will leave without you. I didn't know they hold you're passport Another reason cruses are council AF.
Surely tourists on shore visits need their ID on them at all times; in many countries it is a punishable offence not to carry ID, here in Switzerland it’s CHF 300, DAMHIK… I’ve never been on a cruise, and certainly won’t ever do so if it means surrendering my passport to a non-governmental or law enforcement officer.
This isn't a Scumival Cruise though, it's a 60-day one for high net worth individuals who weren't visiting a port with the finest minibuses laid on to ship them from bar to duty free to gift shop. They were having their first adventure on an uninhabited island, and they left someone behind who died.
k up. Given the expense/luxury I wonder if they're trying to be more discreet/less interfering. But probably just a system failure.thebraketester said:
Surely there was/is (or apparently not) a head count on the tenders back to the ship. How it took them so long to realise is beyond me.
It is unbelievable given the numbers of passengers involved. And that is before the other people on the trip might have noticed.It would be interesting to know how the ship counts all the passengers on and off - on the cruises I have been on, your pass is scanned as you get off and back on again with your picture coming up on screen for the security team to check.
I suspect someone will, at the very least lose their job over this - if not face criminal charges.
So I'm unclear, did she die because she got left behind, or had she failed to return because she'd died without anyone seeing and it was only later people noticed what had happened?
I'm suspecting the latter.
Makes it a slightly juicier story to leave the ambiguity of cause & effect between the death & the left behind part but I suspect nothing wildly complicated was involved?
I'm suspecting the latter.
Makes it a slightly juicier story to leave the ambiguity of cause & effect between the death & the left behind part but I suspect nothing wildly complicated was involved?
JoshSm said:
So I'm unclear, did she die because she got left behind, or had she failed to return because she'd died without anyone seeing and it was only later people noticed what had happened?
I'm suspecting the latter.
Makes it a slightly juicier story to leave the ambiguity of cause & effect between the death & the left behind part but I suspect nothing wildly complicated was involved?
Your second scenario is probably the more likely cause for her death although the fact remains that the ship should not really have left without checking that all the passengers were on board. - it’s not as if there were thousands to check, they could have got everyone on deck and undertaken a roll call!I'm suspecting the latter.
Makes it a slightly juicier story to leave the ambiguity of cause & effect between the death & the left behind part but I suspect nothing wildly complicated was involved?
JoshSm said:
So I'm unclear, did she die because she got left behind, or had she failed to return because she'd died without anyone seeing and it was only later people noticed what had happened?
My money is on cutting her hand while trying to start a fire then picking up a non sterile vollyball leaving a bloody hand print on it.Yes they would have probably berthed in the main channel and taken tenders to shore on the beach in front of the resort. There is also a bar there that is used by sailing yachts etc . The walking trail is not particularly hard and leads to a summit. There is also an airstrip on the island with 2 daily flights to from Cairns. Staff live on the island and the resort is quite popular so I would guess there are typically over a hundred people on the island at any one time.
There is also a research station there as it an island actually on the Great Barrier Reef.
There is also a research station there as it an island actually on the Great Barrier Reef.
Edited by Mahalo on Wednesday 29th October 20:18
ExBoringVolvoDriver said:
JoshSm said:
So I'm unclear, did she die because she got left behind, or had she failed to return because she'd died without anyone seeing and it was only later people noticed what had happened?
I'm suspecting the latter.
Makes it a slightly juicier story to leave the ambiguity of cause & effect between the death & the left behind part but I suspect nothing wildly complicated was involved?
Your second scenario is probably the more likely cause for her death although the fact remains that the ship should not really have left without checking that all the passengers were on board. - it s not as if there were thousands to check, they could have got everyone on deck and undertaken a roll call!I'm suspecting the latter.
Makes it a slightly juicier story to leave the ambiguity of cause & effect between the death & the left behind part but I suspect nothing wildly complicated was involved?
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