Statement from P&O Cruises Australia on Safety and Security

Date: 31 Mar 2006

We deeply regret the death of Mrs Dianne Brimble onboard Pacific Sky, and again extend our deepest sympathy to Mrs Brimble's family and friends.

We are continuing to fully cooperate with the investigation and Coronial inquest, and are therefore not in a position to comment on the particular circumstances under investigation.

We cannot begin to imagine what Mrs Brimble and her family went through, and we are determined to do everything in our power to ensure that this never happens again onboard one of our ships.

Since the date of the incident in September 2002, we have implemented a number of improvements to our security procedures. These include the appointment of dedicated, qualified shore-side and seagoing Security Officers and a significant increase in the number of trained and licensed security personnel travelling on each of our ships. We have increased security measures at the point of embarkation including baggage and personal x-ray.

P&O Cruises’ responsibility for the safety and security of our passengers and crew is our first priority, and we continuously review our security procedures. We fully co-operate with all Australian law enforcement agencies and criminal matters are reported to the Police. Passengers found in possession of drugs are refused boarding and referred to the Police.

We have identified further improvements that we are in the process of introducing both onboard and ashore. These improvements include the deployment of drug ‘sniffer’ dogs at the start of all cruises and the installation of ‘CCTV’ surveillance onboard our ships. This latter installation is scheduled for June this year.

We continue to believe that cruising remains a safe holiday, which is enjoyed by tens of thousands of Australians each year.