Hantavirus Outbreak on Cruise Ship Ends in Rotterdam

ROTTERDAM, Netherlands — A cruise ship facing a serious hantavirus outbreak has docked in Rotterdam for disinfection, concluding a challenging journey that raised alarms for health authorities worldwide.

The MV Hondius arrived at Europe’s largest port on Monday morning, still home to 25 crew members and two medical personnel after all passengers had already disembarked.

An Associated Press journalist observed individuals boarding the vessel in white hazardous material suits. Nearby, authorities established white containers along the waterfront, set against a backdrop of windmills.

The crew is now set to go into quarantine, with those unable to leave immediately spending their time in these containers.

“So far, the crew has shown no symptoms, which is fortunate,” stated Yvonne van Duijnhoven, Rotterdam’s public health director. Crew members will undergo testing upon their arrival and then weekly during their quarantine period.

The outbreak has confirmed at least 11 cases, with nine confirmed diagnoses. Tragically, three passengers have died, including a Dutch couple believed to be the first exposed to the virus while visiting South America. The Public Health Agency of Canada announced that one of four Canadians in isolation after leaving the ship tested positive over the weekend and will share details with the World Health Organization.

After all personnel disembark, the ship will undergo a thorough decontamination process in accordance with Dutch public health regulations, expected to take around three days, according to van Duijnhoven.

She emphasized that the public risk remains very low. “We have stringent protocols in place to prevent any virus from spreading to the outside world,” she added. Health officials will assess the ship before permitting it to set sail again.

The MV Hondius spent six days sailing back from the Canary Islands, where remaining passengers were escorted off by personnel in full protective gear and flew back to over 20 different countries for quarantine.

Last week, Dutch authorities requested the port’s assistance in accommodating the vessel. “It’s unacceptable to deny them entry into the largest port in Europe,” said harbormaster René de Vries.

Several dozen passengers and crew members are already in quarantine in the Netherlands after arriving from a series of flights over the previous weeks. This hantavirus outbreak marks the first recorded case on a cruise ship.

Eighteen Americans are currently being monitored at specialized healthcare facilities in the U.S., intended for patients with dangerous infectious diseases.

The cruise line operating the MV Hondius indicated that it does not expect to alter its future operations, including an Arctic cruise slated to depart from Keflavik, Iceland, on May 29.

On Saturday, France’s Pasteur Institute announced it had fully sequenced the Andes virus found in a French passenger from the MV Hondius, identifying it as a match for viruses previously known in South America, with no indications of new mutations that might increase its transmissibility or danger.