Cruise Ship Undergoes Extra Cleaning Following Hantavirus Outbreak

THE HAGUE, Netherlands — A cruise ship linked to a recent hantavirus outbreak is getting additional cleaning before it heads back to its home port, as announced by the operating company on Tuesday.

In their statement, Oceanwide Expeditions mentioned that the extra sanitization is being conducted based on suggestions from the local health authority, GGD, in Rotterdam, where the ship returned early last week. The ship’s home port is in Vlissingen, a nearby city in southern Netherlands.

According to the cruise company, “Based on their inspection findings, GGD has advised additional cleaning.” They also noted that the GGD will perform a final inspection before the ship is allowed to leave Rotterdam.

Details about why this extra cleaning was deemed necessary weren’t specified, and the health authority has yet to comment on the specifics.

Yvonne van Duijnhoven, Rotterdam’s public health director, had indicated when the Hondius docked eight days ago that the cleaning and disinfection process could take around three days.

On Sunday, World Health Organization Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus shared that there have been 12 reported hantavirus cases and three fatalities associated with the outbreak so far, with no new deaths since May 2.

“All passengers and crew remain in quarantine and under close monitoring to ensure they receive care if needed. The situation is stable for now. We continue to remain vigilant and in close contact with all relevant governments,” he noted.

Hantaviruses typically spread through inhaling contaminated rodent droppings. However, the specific hantavirus responsible for this outbreak, known as the Andes virus, may have the potential for rare human-to-human transmission. Public health officials have stated that the overall risk to the public due to this outbreak is low.

Previously, Oceanwide Expeditions had indicated that they did not foresee any changes to the Hondius’ operations. The ship had been scheduled for an Arctic cruise that departed from Keflavik, Iceland, on May 29. In their latest statement, the company clarified that all trips from June 13 onward would continue as planned and that no additional disruptions to the Hondius’ sailing timetable are anticipated.