A spokeswoman for Australia's foreign office said: "The shipping company advises that they do not believe that there were any foreigners on board, but our High Commission is seeking to confirm this, including whether any dual nationals may have been affected. Four ships and a helicopter were reported to have arrived at the scene but Marti Mosi, the head of PNG's National Disaster Centre, said it was "very difficult to say" what may have caused the ship to sink. Is it weather, is it overloading or is it something to do with the vessel itself? We do not know but that will certainly come to light very soon," he said. Star Ships, among PNG's largest passenger ship operators, runs regular services to the nation's outlying islands including to New Britain's Kimbe, a popular dive site that attracts tourists from across the world.