90-Second Read: Hantavirus-hit cruise ship nears end of voyage, to dock in Rotterdam

A cruise ship that sparked global alarm after a deadly outbreak of Hantavirus made its final approach to Rotterdam Monday, with the remaining skeleton crew facing weeks of quarantine. The ship, operated by Dutch company Oceanwide Expeditions, made headlines after three passengers died from Hantavirus -- a rare virus for which no vaccines nor specific treatments exist. Late on Sunday, the WHO said it was maintaining its assessment of the Hantavirus outbreak as "low risk". AFP reporters on board a separate vessel caught sight of the ship as it steamed towards Rotterdam, Europe's biggest port, for final docking and disinfection.

Hantavirus has been confirmed in seven patients, with one other probable case, according to an AFP tally from official sources. A 65-year-old French woman became symptomatic on the repatriation flight and ended up in critical condition in a Paris hospital with a confirmed case of Hantavirus. Hantavirus spreads from the urine, faeces and saliva of infected rodents and is endemic in Argentina, where the voyage began. The most recent positive test came from Canada in a patient who was onboard the Hondius, officials said late Sunday.

Issued on: 18/05/2026, 03:23 Modified: 18/05/2026, 09:56 The MV Hondius is expected to dock in the Dutch port between 10:00 am (0800 GMT) and midday (1000 GMT), according to officials, before disembarking the 27 remaining people on board: 25 crew and two medical staff. The World Health Organization has scrambled to reassure the world that the outbreak was not a repeat of the Covid pandemic, stressing that contagion was very rare. The MV Hondius's voyage began on April 1 in Ushuaia, Argentina, taking in some remote islands in the South Atlantic Ocean before steaming north to Cape Verde. Those infected have the Andes virus -- the only strain of Hantavirus that can spread between people.

Also on board is the body of a German woman who died during the voyage. Kiki Hirschfeldt, a spokeswoman for the operator, said it was too early to say what impact the outbreak could have on the appetite for cruises. All others evacuated to the Netherlands from the ship have tested negative for the virus.