Eight crew members aboard Royal Caribbean International's Odyssey of the Seas cruise liner tested positive for COVID-19, Michael Bayley, chief executive of the company's international unit, wrote in a Facebook post late on Tuesday.

The company would delay Odyssey's inaugural sailing to July 31 from July 3, Bayley said, adding a simulation cruise, originally scheduled for late June will also be rescheduled.

Six of the eight people who tested positive were asymptomatic and two had mild symptoms, Bayley said.

The news comes after two people tested positive on one of Royal Caribbean's Celebrity cruises last week.

(Reporting by Nivedita Balu in Bengaluru; Editing by Anil D'Silva) ((Nivedita.Balu@thomsonreuters.com; within U.S. +1 646 223 8780; outside U.S. +91 80 6749 4822/ Twitter: @niveditabalu;))