P&O Cruises said today that it had worked closely with Queensland police following an allegation of sexual assault made on board its ship Pacific Star three days ago.
"We understand from the police they were able to quickly ascertain the circumstances surrounding the complaint. The police have said that at this stage they have found no evidence to charge anyone in relation to the sexual assault allegation," a P&O Cruises spokesperson said.
"We immediately notified police when the allegation was made and followed our protocol for responding to incidents of this sort.
"This protocol includes informing authorities, preserving possible evidence and arranging support for and acting responsibly towards those involved.
"When the police arrived on the ship they took charge and we gave them all the assistance they required.
"Our responsibility is to create an environment on board our ships where we do all we can to make sure people are safe, that behaviour is appropriate and our passengers enjoy their holiday.
"Our next concern is how we respond if, regardless of what we do to try to prevent it, people don’t behave appropriately.
"In this case, the police believe our response has been responsible and appropriate.
"Over the past few years we have put many steps in place to reinforce our commitment to providing holidays in a safe and secure environment," the spokesperson said.
These measures include:
"We take responsible service of alcohol, including the prohibition on service of alcohol to minors, very seriously. On boarding, passengers under 18 years of age are issued with a coloured identity swipe card which identifies the card holder as being under 18 and electronically blocks any attempt to buy alcoholic drinks. Our security and bar staff are also trained to watch for other passengers giving drinks to minors, and we take action against anyone found to be attempting to do so. The electronic bar records for the cruise establish the 16-year-old young woman involved in this incident was not served any alcoholic drinks by our staff at any time."