Hondius Cruise Ship Cleared for Return to Service After Hantavirus Outbreak
Dutch health authorities and the operators of the expedition cruise ship Hondius confirmed that the ship has completed its deep cleaning and disinfection after the hantavirus outbreak onboard in late April and early May. The ship will return to service on June 13, beginning its planned season of expeditions in the Arctic.
“From a public health perspective, there are no longer any obstacles to putting the ship Hondius into operation,” the Rotterdam Municipal Health Service (GGD) said in a statement on May 30. Experts from the GGD Rotterdam-Rijnmond said they had determined that the Hondius had been effectively cleaned and that the disinfection had been completed.
The ship underwent a second inspection on May 29. During a previous inspection, GGD had advised on additional cleaning steps for the vessel.
According to Oceanwide Expeditions, the process required intensive coordination between multiple parties, with the actual work being undertaken by 13 biosecurity experts provided by EWS Group. The team inspected the vessel, and over several days, all eight decks were systematically treated. It reports that all hard surfaces received in-depth disinfection with registered products and hydrogen peroxide. All soft surfaces received a high-temperature steam cleaning.
The company continues to highlight the information from the World Health Organization and others that believe the virus was brought aboard by passengers who had become infected while traveling in South America. To support that, it notes the ship was declared rodent-free by qualified third-party professionals.
All the crew that had remained aboard the ship was disembarked by May 23. The company notes that the crew is currently in quarantine and that a crew transition is underway.
Passengers from the cruise also remain in quarantine in various countries around the world. They are about halfway through their quarantine period, and so far, only one additional case has been reported in Spain. The WHO said as of May 21, a total of 13 cases, including the three originally reported deaths from the ship.
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The expedition cruise ship remains docked in Rotterdam, currently undergoing a resupply and preparations for its return to service. The ship will also undergo its annual survey and scheduled maintenance.
The Hondius is scheduled to depart Rotterdam on June 6, sailing to the Svalbard region. It will return to service on June 13 with an Arctic cruise departing Longyearbyen.
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