P&O Cruises' statement on conclusion of inquest

Date: 27 Jul 2007

P&O Cruises today thanked NSW Coroner Jacqueline Milledge for her efforts throughout the inquest into the death of Mrs Dianne Brimble and again expressed its sorrow to the Brimble family.

“The Coroner demonstrated a steadfast commitment to investigating the circumstances surrounding Mrs Brimble’s death. We have learned many lessons and changed significantly as a result of the inquest,” Chief Executive Officer, Ann Sherry, said.

“Let me again sincerely apologise to Mrs Brimble’s family, who have shown dignity and courage throughout the inquest, for the contribution P&O Cruises made to their grief.

“P&O Cruises has introduced many changes to its operations, especially in passenger service, safety and security. Those changes, which accelerated after the inquest started, have been described by Counsel assisting the Coroner as ‘a complete reform of the cruise industry insofar as P&O is concerned’.

“We have learnt a lot over the past five years, and we are absolutely determined to draw on these experiences for ways to continue to improve.

“Our responsibility is to create an environment onboard 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 people don’t behave appropriately, regardless of what we do to try to prevent such behaviour.

“We have put in place a range of safeguards to try to ensure what happened to Mrs Brimble cannot happen again and we will continue this commitment.”

Ms Sherry is the newly-appointed Chief Executive Officer of Carnival Australia, which operates P&O Cruises in Australia.

Please Click Here to view the fact sheet outlining the company’s improved safety and security measures.