P&O’s disasters continue

It has emerged this morning that a 31-year-old Sydney father who was found dead on board the P&O cruise ship Pacific Sun in the South Pacific, was the winner of a promotional holiday through the Sydney radio station 2GB.

It is reported that the Pacific Sun was sailing in New Caledonian waters yesterday morning when a passenger apparently discovered the 31-year-old man lying in a public area of the ship.  The man was reportedly on holiday with his family, believed to include his partner and their young child and a large family group.

A spokeswoman for P&O, Sandy Olsen, denied passenger reports there was a fight on board before the man’s death and said the man was not found dead in a bar.  

Media reports from Noumea though say that Police investigating the death believe it to be a result of a brawl that broke out on the ship, but these reports are unconfirmed.

Ms Olsen was unable to say whether the man had suffered any injuries, or if there had been attempts to revive him, adding, “We have no information at this stage to suggest the death was suspicious”.

The station’s program director, Peter Brennan, says his thoughts are with the man’s family, but he will not comment further at this stage.

The man had been with his family on an eight-night cruise on the Pacific Sun, which left Sydney on August 3, has now docked at Noumea in New Caledonia to allow authorities on board to conduct investigations.

The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) says it is giving consular assistance to the man’s family and DFAT says it understands a crime scene has been established on the ship.

The man’s death follows the controversy surrounding the 2002 P&O cruise ship death of Brisbane mother Dianne Brimble, with only recently a NSW coroner recommending charges be laid against two men last month after a 16-month inquest into the 42-year-old Brisbane woman’s drug-related death aboard the Pacific Sky.

The Pacific Sun was diverted to the New Caledonian capital, Noumea, where local police and authorities boarded the ship to begin an investigation and an hour after the ship docked, passengers were allowed to disembark.

The Pacific Sun, which had been cruising from Ile des Pins to Ouvea, is expected to resume its voyage to Sydney today and arrive on Saturday.

P&O continues to be embroiled in controversy since the death of Dianne Brimble, with very recently appointed P&O Australia CEO Ann Sherry announcing that new security measures have been put in place on board all P&O vessels.

Report by The Mole

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