CRUISE bosses have today launched an inquiry after the Southampton-based cruise ship Oceana was turned away from a Caribbean island.

P&O Cruises, which owns the Oceana says it is looking into yesterday's events when the United States Coastguard refused to allow the ship to stay at the island of St Thomas after a suspected mix-up with immigration documentation.

Coastguard vessels with flashing blue lights and armed guards greeted the ship when she arrived at St Thomas as part of a 15-night cruise of the Caribbean.

After docking, some of the ship's 2,000 passengers who had managed to make it dockside were all ordered back on board.

Despite negotiations between the ship's captain and American immigration officials the Oceana was not allowed to stay.

Passenger Robin Breach, of Martin Street, Bishop's Waltham, near Southampton, said passengers were "incensed" at their treatment by American officials.

He said: "Immigration officials walked off after orders from the coastguard, even while hard negotiations were under way between the captain and American officials.

"The Americans insisted that every British passenger was processed through the American system. Even if they were not even going ashore, they had to be seen by the immigration officials.

"The elderly, the infirm, the youngest had to parade before just three, at times only two, officials who had to see more than 1,500 passengers.

"After waiting in queues for more than an hour the immigration officials packed up and left the vessel, leaving about half the ship's passengers in limbo without their passports processed.

"The pedantic American system seems to have triumphed again as no passengers have been allowed to leave the ship."

The Oceana, which is based in the Caribbean during the winter months and is not expected back to Southampton until April, had only been due to spend six hours in St Thomas.

A spokesman for P&O Cruises confirmed that they were looking into the situation and had offered £75 worth of on-board credit to every passenger as compensation.

In a statement P&O said: "We can confirm that the US Coastguard has refused permission for the Oceana to stay at the island of St Thomas in the Caribbean.

"It is understood that the US Coastguard were not able to accept the pre-arrival documentation that P&O submitted to clear that ship. This refusal was therefore the result of an administrative decision on their behalf."