By 1957 the services to Central and South America and the summer service on the North Atlantic, had been abandoned, enabling SITMAR to concentrate on the Australian passenger routes until the early 1970s, when the company entered the highly competitive North American cruise market.
By 1957 the services to Central and South America, as well as the summer service on the North Atlantic, had been abandoned, and all but one of the cargo ships sold, enabling SITMAR to concentrate their attention on the Australian passenger trade. This state of affairs lasted until the early 1970s, when the company entered the highly competitive North American cruise market.