PASSENGERS aboard troubled cruise ship Aurora were last night told the ship would not sail until next Tuesday.

A P&O Cruises spokesman said experts could not fix the ship's motor immediately and said that passengers were welcome to stay on board.

The P&O Cruises' ship should have set sail from Southampton on Sunday on a 103-day round-the-world trip to 40 destinations including Madeira, the Cape Verde Islands, the Falklands and San Francisco.

For a third day running passengers on board have looked at views of the Solent - instead of the promised Madeira coastline.

P&O chiefs met last night to discuss what action to take while technical tests were undertaken in the Solent.

In a statement, the company apologised to the 1,752 passengers on the ship docked in Southampton and promised compensation for the delay and any curtailing of their trip.

The £106m liner underwent repairs after encountering problems with the propulsion system and further tests have been undertaken since midday on Tuesday.

P&O Cruises said: "The company now believes it has identified the cause of the problem with Aurora's motor and will now proceed with a schedule of repairs immediately. It is estimated that it will take until Sunday to complete the repairs and test these again at sea. The earliest anticipated departure date for Aurora's grand voyage will therefore be next Tuesday.

"Passengers are being invited to stay on board Aurora as guests during this period of further work and will be offered a full entertainment programme while the ship remains in Southampton. During this time passengers will be welcome to disembark and re-embark at their leisure.

"Passengers wishing to return home during this period will be kept fully informed of the revised arrangements and offered assistance with their homeward travel.

"P&O Cruises would like to apologise for the disappointment being felt by passengers and the company will do everything to ensure Aurora gets underway as soon as possible for her grand voyage."

A spokesman added that passengers were being told last night and most were expected to stay on board.

The price of the round-the- world cruise ranges from £9,800 for a cabin to £41,985 for a penthouse suite.

Those passengers remaining on board can take advantage of 35 tennis courts, three swimming pools, five restaurants, a cinema and a casino.

It is not the first time the German-built ship has encountered problems. In October 2003 600 passengers and crew fell ill after catching the virulent Norovirus stomach bug.

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