PRAIA, CAPE VERDE— Emergency medical teams in hazmat suits began the grim task of evacuating a luxury cruise ship on Wednesday following a deadly outbreak of hantavirus. The vessel, the MV Hondius, has been transformed from a polar expedition ship into a floating quarantine zone after three people died and several others fell dangerously ill.
The World Health Organization (WHO) confirmed on Wednesday that the outbreak involves the rare Andes strainof hantavirus. Unlike most forms of the virus, which only jump from rodents to humans, this specific strain can spread directly between people. This discovery has sparked international concern and complicated efforts to bring the ship’s 147 passengers and crew safely to shore.
On Wednesday afternoon, a small red ambulance boat pulled alongside the Dutch-flagged vessel, which is currently anchored off the coast of Cape Verde. Video footage showed medical staff in full-body protective gear assisting three individuals through a side hatch.
According to the Dutch Foreign Ministry, those evacuated include:
- A 56-year-old British crew member.
- A 41-year-old Dutch staff member (reportedly the ship’s doctor).
- A 65-year-old German passenger.
Two of the three are reported to be in stable but serious condition. They were transported to the Nelson Mandela International Airport in Praia, where two medical flights were waiting to fly them to specialized hospitals in Europe.
What is the Andes Strain of the Hantavirus?
Hantaviruses are typically contracted by inhaling dust contaminated with the saliva or waste of infected rodents. However, the Andes strain—named after the mountain range in South America where it was first identified—is the only known version capable of human-to-human transmission.
“This type of spread is very rare and requires very close physical contact,” explained South Africa’s Health Minister Aaron Motsoaledi during a parliamentary briefing. He noted that while the risk to the general public remains low, the close quarters of a cruise ship create a high-risk environment.
The symptoms of the hantavirus are often brutal and move quickly. According to the World Health Organization , the illness usually begins with:
- High fever and muscle aches.
- Gastrointestinal distress (vomiting and diarrhea).
- Rapid progression to severe pneumonia.
- Acute respiratory distress syndrome (the lungs filling with fluid).
The crisis did not happen overnight. The MV Hondius departed from Ushuaia, Argentina, on April 1 for a long-haul voyage through the South Atlantic, visiting remote areas like Antarctica and South Georgia.
The first sign of trouble appeared on April 11, when a Dutch male passenger developed a fever and died shortly after. Since then, the virus has claimed two more lives: a Dutch woman who died after being evacuated to South Africa and a German national who passed away on board the ship on May 2.
Currently, at least one British passenger remains in intensive care in Johannesburg, and another patient is being treated in Zurich, Switzerland. On board the ship, five other “suspected” cases are being monitored closely in isolation.
Denied Entry and Diplomatic Deadlocks
The ship’s operator, Oceanwide Expeditions, originally hoped to dock the vessel in Cape Verde. However, local authorities refused, citing a lack of specialized medical infrastructure to handle a high-consequence pathogen.
The ship then set its sights on Tenerife in the Canary Islands. That plan hit a wall when the Regional President of the Canary Islands, Fernando Clavijo, publicly opposed the move.
“There is no information that justifies why the vessel must sail for three days to the Canary Islands to carry out a task that could be done from Praia,” Clavijo stated. Despite this, Spain’s Health Minister, Monica Garcia Gomez, later suggested that a compromise might be reached to allow the ship to dock under strict medical supervision within the next three days.
For the passengers remaining on board, life has become a strange mix of boredom and anxiety. Everyone is required to wear masks and practice social distancing—measures that feel like a haunting echo of the early COVID-19 pandemic.
“Our days have been close to normal, just waiting for authorities to find a solution,” passenger Qasem Elhato told Reuters via WhatsApp. “Morale is high; we’re keeping busy with movies and books.”
While the mood may be calm for now, the clock is ticking. The incubation period for hantavirus can be as long as eight weeks, meaning more cases could still emerge. For now, the MV Hondius remains a ship without a port, waiting for a country willing to open its doors to a vessel carrying one of the world’s rarest and deadliest respiratory threats.
