The Dutch-flagged cruise ship MV Hondius docked in Rotterdam shortly after 10 a.m. local time (0800 UTC) on Monday, ending a voyage that attracted international attention following a hantavirus outbreak.
Quarantine arrangements have been made for the ship’s reduced on-board complement of 27 people — 25 crew members plus two medical staff — who remained aboard during the final leg of the trip. Oceanwide Expeditions, the ship’s operator, said everyone still on board is currently asymptomatic and being closely monitored by the two medics.
Earlier in the voyage the Hondius had carried roughly 150 passengers and crew from 23 countries. The outbreak, first reported on May 2, has been linked to three deaths. A German woman who died during the trip remains on board.
Health officials say hantaviruses are carried by rodents and are transmitted when people come into contact with infected animals or their urine, droppings, or saliva — most commonly by inhaling contaminated particles. The infection can cause Hantavirus Pulmonary Syndrome, a severe lung disease described by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
World Health Organization chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, speaking as a major UN health summit opened the same day the Hondius arrived, described the hantavirus and Ebola outbreaks as “the latest crises in our troubled world” and warned that climate change and global financial strains will continue to affect public health.
After docking, 27 people who had been on board are due to disembark: 17 nationals of the Philippines, four Dutch, four Ukrainian, one Russian and one Polish passenger or crew member. Some will be housed in quarantine facilities at the port; others will self-isolate at home. Local authorities said quarantine spaces have been prepared for some non-Dutch crew members, though it was not immediately clear whether all will remain in those facilities for the full recommended 42-day quarantine period.
The Hondius will undergo cleaning and disinfection following the disembarkations.
The ship began its South Atlantic expedition from Argentina on April 1. It was stranded off Cape Verde after that country refused entry because of the outbreak, then made for Tenerife in the Canary Islands. Spanish authorities coordinated a complex repatriation operation there, evacuating more than 120 passengers and crew and sending evacuees either home or to the Netherlands, which has special responsibility given the vessel’s flag.
Those who left the ship and contacts of evacuees were quarantined in several countries. As of May 15, the WHO had reported 10 cases related to the incident, including the three deaths; two additional cases were listed as probable. The virus identified in patients from the Hondius is the Andes virus, which is thought to be capable of human-to-human transmission in some circumstances. Because hantavirus infections can incubate for up to six weeks, health authorities have warned that more cases could still emerge.
On May 12 WHO chief Tedros said there was “no sign that we are seeing the start of a larger outbreak,” and the WHO has worked to reassure the public that, while Andes virus can spread between people, such transmission is rare and the situation is not a repeat of the COVID-19 pandemic. Some countries, including Canada, reported provisional positive tests for nationals who had been aboard; the WHO continued to await confirmatory updates.
The Hondius episode prompted international coordination for repatriation and monitoring, while local and global health agencies continue to track contacts, enforce quarantine where needed, and conduct testing. The immediate focus remains on monitoring those recently disembarked, ensuring appropriate isolation measures, and completing ship sanitation before any further operations.