The British press is reporting that the Oriana cruise ship has returned to port in Southampton with “dozens” of passengers sick with norovirus.

The 19 year-old P&O cruise ship ended its cruise around the Canary Islands early because of propeller problems. The Daily Echo newspaper in the U.K. is calling the ship “cursed” because of the norovirus outbreak.

The Daily Echo says that the ship returned to port on Wednesday due to propeller issues and passengers were permitted to stay on board and using the facility until Saturday. However, 57 passengers on board were then struck down with the highly contagious norovirus.

P&O Cruises offered refunds and credits to passengers, but some passengers said they might sue.

The cruise line said that it started “enhanced sanitation” protocols.

P&O Cruises also released the familiar PR statement: “the safety and comfort of passengers and crew is always our number one priority.”

Photo Credit:  Wikipedia / Pjotr Mahhonin