The world’s first hybrid cruiseship Roald Amundsen, which was due here on her UK cruise next month, has been hit by an outbreak of coronavirus when 41 passengers and crew tested positive for the virus.

Her planned UK cruise, which has been torpedoed by the infection, will send shock waves through the entire cruise industry worldwide.

The ship is owned by the world famous Hurtigruten company, which has suspended all leisure cruises because of the outbreak. Hundreds of passengers who have voyaged on the ship since July are in quarantine and being tested for Covid-19.

"This is a serious situation for everyone involved. We have not been good enough and we have made mistakes," chief executive Daniel Skjeldam said in a statement on Monday.

"A preliminary evaluation shows a breakdown in several of our internal procedures," he added.

"The only responsible choice is to suspend all expedition sailings."

When the ship docked in the northern Norwegian port of Tromso four crew were taken to hospital and later tested positive for the virus.

Norwegian police are investigating the incident to see if any laws had been broken prior to the outbreak on the ship.

The ship, which belongs to the Norwegian firm Hurtigruten, docked in the port of Tromso in northern Norway last Friday when four crew were hospitalised and later tested positive for the virus.

Norway's government has announced it will stop all cruise ships with more than 100 people on board from disembarking passengers for at least 14 days.

And police said they were investigating whether any laws had been broken prior to the outbreak on the Roald Amundsen.

"We have found grounds to open a case," a police official told Reuters news agency.

The MS Roald Amundsen had been on a week-long voyage to Svalbard in the Arctic, and was scheduled to visit ports in England and Scotland in September.

Falmouth, Fowey and the Isles of Scilly will lose another cruise ship visit due to the pandemic.