MV Hondius cleared to sail after hantavirus outbreak

A hantavirus outbreak on the Dutch‑flagged cruise ship MV Hondius resulted in 13 confirmed infections and three deaths across passengers from several countries. After the ship was evacuated in May and the remaining crew placed in quarantine, Dutch public‑health officials inspected the vessel, declared it fully cleaned and disinfected, and announced there were “no longer any obstacles” to its return to service. Oceanwide Expeditions plans to resume cruises from Rotterdam on 13 June.

Health authorities in the United States ordered American passengers to remain under home surveillance for up to 42 days, while Australia’s health minister extended the quarantine of six evacuated passengers to 23 June, citing WHO guidance on the virus’s incubation period. Spain confirmed a new asymptomatic case among the 14 Spanish nationals evacuated to Madrid’s Gómez Ulla Hospital. The World Health Organization has recorded 13 confirmed or probable cases linked to the outbreak, including the three fatalities. The hantavirus strain involved is the Andes variant, a rare rodent‑borne virus with no vaccine or specific treatment.

The coordinated response spans the Netherlands, the United States, Australia, New Zealand, Spain and other nations whose passengers were aboard the MV Hondius.