Germany's men's Olympic hockey team have apologised after a party they held on a cruise ship to celebrate their gold medals at London 2012 resulted in a bill for damages of €500,000.

The squad held the party on board the MS Deutschland following their victory over the Netherlands in the final.

Photos published in the German press of what was called a "wild boat party" showed players smoking cigars and dousing each other in champagne. The ship's operators said the party had resulted in damages including burns in the teak panelling of the on-board casino, broken glass and damaged carpets.

Kornelia Kneissl, spokeswoman for the Deilmann shipping company, told Bild newspaper: "This is a ship on a five-star level with very high quality materials, so damages can quickly become very expensive."

The company said repairs would take up to six working days, with every day the ship is not in use costing them €75,000.

The German Hockey Association said it has not yet received what it called the "grossly disproportionate" €500,000 bill, with questions over whether the body can be held legally responsible for the actions of its members.