Hantavirus Outbreak on Hondius Kills Three After Atlantic Voyage

Updated May 27, 2026

Oceanwide Expeditions' MV Hondius has reached Rotterdam for cleaning and disinfection after a deadly hantavirus outbreak that killed three passengers and led to evacuations, isolation and monitoring across several countries. The operator has canceled two voyages and says the ship is scheduled to resume operations June 13 from Longyearbyen, Svalbard.

The outbreak count has been updated to nine confirmed and two suspected cases. More than 120 passengers and some crew were evacuated in Spain's Canary Islands, and affected travelers have been placed in isolation or medical monitoring in several countries. Several remain hospitalized, including some in critical condition, Oceanwide Expeditions CEO Remi Bouysset said.

Hondius arrives for disinfection

Hondius is a 107.6-meter PC6/1A Super-equivalent polar expedition vessel that typically sails with about 170 passengers and roughly 70 crew plus expedition staff. The voyage began in Ushuaia, Argentina, and included Antarctica, the Falkland Islands and other South Atlantic stops before the medical response intensified near Cape Verde.

The ship later sailed to Spain's Canary Islands, where passengers were disembarked and transferred under public-health procedures. Oceanwide said the vessel then continued to Rotterdam with 25 crew, two health workers and the body of one passenger who died on board. No one remaining on the vessel was showing symptoms before its arrival, the company said.

Oceanwide said Hondius is undergoing an extended cleaning and disinfection process, along with additional protocols and a crew transition before returning to service. Bouysset said the company was taking time to complete the process "properly and responsibly."

Two voyages have been canceled. Oceanwide says Hondius is scheduled to return to operations on June 13 from Longyearbyen, though the company has also said a ship cannot sail without official authorization.

Medical response and case timeline

The first victim was a 70-year-old Dutch man who died on the ship on April 11. His body was removed at Saint Helena, and his 69-year-old wife later died at a hospital in Johannesburg after collapsing while trying to return to the Netherlands. A German passenger also died on board on May 2.

A British passenger was medically evacuated to South Africa and treated in intensive care in Johannesburg after testing positive for hantavirus. Oceanwide previously said two crew members on board had acute respiratory symptoms and required urgent medical care. The outbreak response also included laboratory sequencing, contact tracing and medical screening for passengers and crew who had left the ship.

The Andes virus has been implicated in the outbreak. The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control said the genome had been completely sequenced. Andreas Hoefer, who oversees operational coordination of the European Union's reference laboratories for public health, said there was no indication that the virus was behaving differently from known circulating viruses. "Based on that data, I would say that currently we have no reason to suspect that this is a new virus," Hoefer said.

Operator says origin likely before embarkation

Investigators have not publicly established the exact exposure source. "The indications strongly suggest that the virus was introduced prior to embarkation and did not originate from the vessel itself," Bouysset said. "This is based on the medical and epidemiological information currently available, including guidance from WHO experts and relevant health authorities. Investigations remain ongoing regarding the exact location where the virus may have been contracted."

He also said there was no indication at this stage that the source of infection was linked to the vessel's condition or to Oceanwide's onboard operations. The company maintains pest-control and biosecurity procedures, including inspections and monitoring, he said.

Earlier in the response, Maria Van Kerkhove, WHO's director of epidemic and pandemic preparedness and prevention, said investigators believed some transmission may have occurred among "really close contacts," including a husband and wife and people who shared cabins. "This is not a virus that spreads like flu or like COVID," she said.

Why the outbreak is unusual for cruising

The Hondius cluster has been described as the first known hantavirus outbreak on a cruise ship. Shipboard outbreaks more commonly involve highly contagious gastrointestinal pathogens. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recorded 23 gastrointestinal outbreaks on ships calling at U.S. ports in 2025, 18 of them caused by norovirus.

Hantavirus refers to a family of rodent-borne viruses. Most infections occur when people inhale particles from infected rodent urine, droppings or saliva, particularly after contaminated material is disturbed in enclosed or poorly ventilated spaces. Transmission through rodent bites or scratches is also possible but rare.

The Andes strain is the hantavirus variant with previous evidence of limited person-to-person spread, mainly in South America. Public-health officials have repeatedly said the wider public risk remains low.

Symptoms, treatment and monitoring

Hantavirus infections can begin with fever, chills, muscle aches, headache and fatigue before progressing to severe respiratory disease or kidney-related illness, depending on the virus. "Early in the illness, you really may not be able to tell the difference between hantavirus and having the flu," said Dr. Sonja Bartolome of UT Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas.

Symptoms of hantavirus pulmonary syndrome generally appear one to eight weeks after exposure. There is no specific cure. Early supportive care can improve survival, and severe cases may require oxygen, ventilation, blood-pressure support or dialysis.

Public-health guidance for prevention centers on avoiding rodent contact and cleaning contaminated areas without aerosolizing droppings. Health authorities advise using gloves and disinfectant, including bleach solution, and caution against sweeping or vacuuming rodent waste because that can put virus particles into the air.

Because the incubation period can extend for weeks, passengers and crew linked to the voyage remain subject to monitoring, isolation or quarantine requirements set by public-health authorities in their countries.