Cruise ship hit by hantavirus docks in Netherlands for disinfection

AMSTERDAM - The Hondius cruise ship that was hit by an outbreak of hantavirus in early April has returned to the Netherlands and docked in Rotterdam on Monday, according to a dpa reporter.

Aboard the Hondius, which is registered in the Dutch town of Vlissingen, was the body of a German woman who died at sea on May 3.

She is to be cremated near Amsterdam's Schiphol Airport, after which her ashes will be handed over to her family, the Rotterdam health authorities said.

A total of three passengers that took part in an Atlantic cruise on the Hondius have died from hantavirus so far.

After the outbreak was detected earlier this month while the ship was travelling from Argentina to Cape Verde, most passengers disembarked in Spain's Canary Islands. A skeleton crew of 25 as well as a doctor and a nurse remained aboard the vessel as it headed back to the Netherlands.

None of them are showing symptoms, but they will be tested again for the virus.

Quarantine accommodation has been arranged for 17 crew members from the Philippines, four from Ukraine and one each from Russia and Poland, partly in containers and partly onboard. Two Dutch crew members will quarantine at home.

According to Rotterdam health authorities, disinfection of the ship will start on Tuesday and be completed by Friday.

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This story was originally published May 18, 2026 at 6:41 AM.