Hantavirus Outbreak on Cruise Ship Ends in Rotterdam

ROTTERDAM, Netherlands (AP) — The cruise ship MV Hondius, which experienced a hantavirus outbreak, has docked in Rotterdam for disinfection, concluding a challenging journey that raised alarms for international health officials.

Upon arrival at Europe’s largest port on Monday morning, the ship carried 25 crew members and two medical staff after all passengers had disembarked.

An Associated Press reporter noted that individuals in white hazardous material suits boarded the vessel. Authorities had also set up white containers along the waterfront, amid a row of windmills, a short distance from the docking area.

The crew will undergo quarantine, with those who cannot be immediately sent home spending their isolation period in the containers. “So far, the crew hasn’t shown any symptoms,” Yvonne van Duijnhoven, Rotterdam’s health director, mentioned. Crew members will be tested upon arrival and will continue to be tested weekly during quarantine.

At least 11 cases of the outbreak have been reported, with nine confirmed. Tragically, three passengers have died, including a Dutch couple believed to be the initial carriers of the virus from their visit to South America. The Public Health Agency of Canada stated that one of four Canadians who left the ship tested positive on Sunday, and it will inform the World Health Organization about this case.

After everyone has disembarked, the MV Hondius will undergo decontamination in accordance with Dutch public health protocols, a process anticipated to last about three days, according to van Duijnhoven.

She emphasized that public risk remains very low. “We have stringent protocols to ensure the virus doesn’t escape the ship,” she added. Before the ship can go back to sea, public health officials will inspect it.

For the past six days, the ship has been traveling from the Canary Islands. The remaining passengers were escorted off by personnel in full-body protective gear and flew to over 20 countries to enter quarantine.

Last week, the port authorities were approached for assistance with the vessel. “I think it’s unacceptable to deny access; we must accommodate it in Europe’s biggest port,” said the port harbormaster, René de Vries.

Approximately two dozen passengers and crew have already been quarantined in the Netherlands, following a series of flights over the previous two weeks.

This outbreak aboard the MV Hondius marks the first known instance of hantavirus on a cruise ship.

Eighteen Americans are currently being monitored at specialized healthcare facilities in the U.S. equipped for handling dangerous infectious diseases.

According to the Dutch company operating the cruise ship, no changes to its future operations are anticipated, with an Arctic cruise scheduled to depart from Keflavik, Iceland, on May 29.

On Saturday, France’s Pasteur Institute reported it has fully sequenced the Andes virus found in a French passenger from the MV Hondius. It confirmed a match with existing South American viruses, showing no signs of increased transmissibility or danger.