Expedition Cruise Ship Hondius Delayed for Additional Cleaning

A week after the expedition cruise ship Hondius reached Rotterdam with a skeleton crew aboard, the operator reports its departure is being delayed for additional cleaning procedures. The company did not specify what additional efforts would be required as it works to ensure the hantavirus has been fully eradicated and the ship is prepared for a return to service.

Oceanwide Expeditions, which operates the ship, said that based on inspection findings by the public health service in Rotterdam, GGD, additional cleaning procedures would be implemented. GGD advised on the additional efforts and will reinspect the vessel before it is cleared to depart for Vissingen.

The five remaining crewmembers who had been aboard during the cruise and the return to Rotterdam also disembarked the ship on May 23. The captain of the cruise ship was transported to Poland on a specialized transport, while the Dutch crewmembers are in home quarantine. A quarantine facility was also established in the Port of Rotterdam for crew who were awaiting return to their home countries. Two of the final disembarking crew were a Russian and a Ukrainian, with the other two being Dutch.

The ship reached Rotterdam on May 18 after disembarking all of its passengers and about half the crew in Tenerife for evacuation flights home or to the Netherlands. The company said when the ship reached the Netherlands with 25 crewmembers and two medical personnel from the Netherlands, that there were no symptomatic individuals aboard.

The company’s CEO, Remi Bouysset, issued a statement thanking everyone for their support and saying their focus remained on the health and safety of the crew and passengers. He reiterated the indications, which he said “strongly suggest” that the virus was introduced before embarkation and did not originate from the vessel.

“At this stage, there is no indication that the source of infection was linked to the vessel’s condition or to Oceanwide Expeditions’ onboard operations. We maintain strict pest-control and biosecurity procedures onboard our vessels, including regular inspections and monitoring,” reported Bouysset.

Spain’s Ministry of Health said Monday, May 25, that another of the 14 people it was monitoring has now tested positive for hantavirus. Authorities stated that the patient is a close contact identified through the epidemiological monitoring and that they are now in a specialized hospital unit. It was the second Spaniard reported to have tested positive after leaving the cruise ship.

The World Health Organization said as of May 25, there were reports of a total of 12 cases linked to the cruise ship. After the three individual passengers who passed away, the WHO says there have been no additional deaths reported since May 2. It terms the situation as stable while noting that all the passengers and crew remain in quarantine and under close monitoring to ensure they receive care if needed.

Oceanwide continues to expect that the Hondius will return to service on June 13. Two earlier cruises were canceled while the in-depth cleaning proceeded.