THE HAGUE – Following a hantavirus outbreak linked to a cruise ship, extensive cleaning is being conducted before the vessel returns to its base, as confirmed by the operating company on Tuesday.
Oceanwide Expeditions stated that the additional sanitation efforts are in response to recommendations from the GGD, the local health authority in Rotterdam. The ship docked at Rotterdam last week and is usually stationed in Vlissingen, located in the southern Netherlands.
“Upon reviewing their inspection, GGD advised further cleaning,” the cruise line mentioned. “Once this process is complete, GGD will perform a final check before the ship can leave Rotterdam.”
The company did not specify the exact reasons for the intensified cleaning, and the health authority has yet to provide a detailed explanation for these additional precautions.
When the ship Hondius arrived at Rotterdam’s expansive port eight days ago, Yvonne van Duijnhoven, the city’s public health director, anticipated that the cleaning and disinfection process would require approximately three days.
On Sunday, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the Director-General of the World Health Organization, shared on X that there have been 12 reported hantavirus cases and three fatalities, with no new deaths reported since May 2.
“All passengers and crew remain in quarantine and under close monitoring to ensure they receive care if needed. The situation is stable for now. We continue to remain vigilant and in close contact with all relevant governments,” he added.
Hantaviruses usually spread when people inhale contaminated residue of rodent droppings. But the hantavirus that has caused the current outbreak, called the Andes virus, may be able to spread between people in rare cases. The risk to the general public from the cruise ship outbreak is low, according to public health officials.
Oceanwide Expeditions had previously said it didn’t foresee any changes to the Hondius’ operations. The ship had an Arctic cruise setting sail from Keflavik, Iceland, on May 29. But in Tuesday’s statement, the company said that “all voyages from 13 June onwards will proceed as scheduled. No further disruption to the sailing schedule of m/v Hondius is expected.”
