In a conclusion to a high-stakes global health scare that triggered alerts across international public health networks, the cruise ship impacted by a deadly hantavirus outbreak has finally entered the Port of Rotterdam in the Netherlands to undergo full professional disinfection. The MV Hondius, operated by Dutch tour firm Oceanwide Expeditions, docked at Rotterdam on Monday morning carrying only 25 crew members and two on-board medical staff, after all passengers had been disembarked at previous stops across the Atlantic.
Witnessed by an Associated Press reporter on-site, people on the vessel’s deck were all wearing face coverings as the cruise ship was guided into port by a tugboat and a Dutch police escort vessel. Dutch health authorities have confirmed that all crew members will begin mandatory quarantine immediately after the ship docks.
The outbreak, which marks the first confirmed hantavirus incident on a commercial cruise ship, has claimed three passenger lives to date, including a Dutch couple that public health investigators trace as the first index cases, who were believed to have contracted the virus during a pre-cruise visit to South America. In total, the outbreak has been linked to at least 11 suspected infections, nine of which have received official laboratory confirmation.
After passengers began showing symptomatic infections, the ship sailed for six days from the Canary Islands, where all remaining passengers were escorted off the vessel by medical teams in full-body personal protective equipment. Passengers were then placed on repatriation flights to more than 20 different countries, where they entered mandatory quarantine to prevent further community spread. As of the latest updates, 18 American passengers remain under active observation in specialized U.S. healthcare facilities equipped to manage high-risk infectious diseases, while Canada’s Public Health Agency has already confirmed one positive hantavirus case among the four Canadian repatriated passengers from the ship.
According to Oceanwide Expeditions, none of the 25 crew and two medical staff remaining on the voyage to Rotterdam have developed any symptoms of hantavirus infection. The Dutch Ministry of Health noted last week that crew members who cannot arrange immediate repatriation to their home countries will complete their quarantine period within the Netherlands. Around two dozen passengers and crew from the vessel have already entered quarantine in the Netherlands after arriving on repatriation flights over the past two weeks.
Once all personnel have disembarked the MV Hondius, the vessel will undergo a full decontamination process following strict Dutch national public health protocols. In a written update to the Dutch parliament, the ministry explained that specialized protective measures have been planned for cleaning teams to eliminate any risk of infection, meaning disinfection staff will not be required to enter quarantine after completing their work. Public health officials will conduct a full inspection of the vessel before it is cleared to resume commercial sailings.
Genomic sequencing conducted by France’s Pasteur Institute, completed on a sample taken from an infected French passenger, confirmed that the virus detected is the Andes strain of hantavirus, which is already known to circulate in South America. Researchers found no evidence of new mutations that would increase the virus’s transmissibility between humans or make it more dangerous than known circulating strains.
Despite the fatal outbreak, the Dutch company that owns the MV Hondius has stated it does not expect to make any changes to its scheduled operations. The vessel is still slated to depart on an Arctic cruise from Keflavik, Iceland, on May 29, following inspection and decontamination.