The captain of a P&O Cruises vessel is facing a fine and a potential jail sentence in France after admitting breaching sulphur fuel rules.

The unnamed master of the 115,000-gt Azura (built 2010) will be sentenced on 9 July in Marseilles, the Ouest-France website reported.

It cited the city's public prosecutor Xavier Tarabeux as saying the cruiseship was checked on 29 March in the port and was found to be using fuel with a sulphur content of 1.68%,