No Permission to Dock: 88 Passengers Isolated Aboard Dutch Expedition Ship After 3 Hantavirus Deaths

A Dutch-owned expedition ship at about half its total capacity is being held off the coast of Cape Verde after three passengers died and at least four others became ill in a suspected hantavirus outbreak.

Reports on this story have been flooding social media and news outlets, and while the cruise line in question isn’t one we typically cover, it’s important that cruisers know what’s actually going on.

MV Hondius is a 170-passenger Polar Class 6 expedition ship operated by Oceanwide Expeditions, which is headquartered in the Netherlands.

The 6,000-gross-ton ship departed Ushuaia, Argentina, on April 1, 2026, for what was scheduled to be a multi-week sailing across the Atlantic.

The voyage included stops in Antarctica, the Falkland Islands, South Georgia, and other South Atlantic islands before its scheduled arrival in Praia, Cape Verde, on May 4.

But instead of a normal end to the cruise for the 88 passengers on board, the ship is now essentially in a waiting game in open waters near Praia.

Cape Verde authorities have refused docking as a precautionary measure to protect the local population under international health regulations. This is not uncommon and we saw this happen a lot during the initial stages of the Covid-19 pandemic when ships were delayed in disembarking passengers due to outbreaks onboard.

The ship’s passengers, along with 61 crew members, are now waiting for help as talks of possible evacuations are ongoing.

Current Situation (as of May 5, 2026)

• Three Confirmed Deaths: A Dutch husband and wife, plus a German national. The first victim, a 70-year-old Dutch man, passed away on April 11. His body was disembarked at Saint Helena on April 24. His wife passed away in a South African hospital on April 26.
• Seven Total Cases: According to the World Health Organization (WHO), there are two laboratory-confirmed hantavirus infections and five suspected cases. This includes a 69-year-old British passenger currently in intensive care in Johannesburg, South Africa.
• Medical Emergencies: Two crew members (one British and one Dutch) with acute respiratory symptoms remain on board and require urgent medical care. The body of the German passenger, who passed away on May 2, is still on the vessel awaiting transport.

Understanding the Hantavirus Risk

Hantavirus is a rare, rodent-borne virus typically spread through contact with infected urine, droppings, or saliva. It causes severe respiratory problems and is not usually transmitted between people. 

However, the WHO issued an update this morning stating they cannot rule out human-to-human transmission in this specific case.

Authorities suspect a strain known as the Andes virus, which can spread between close contacts.

The risk to the general public still remains very low. Exposure most likely occurred during shore excursions earlier in the voyage, given the virus’s long incubation period of up to eight weeks.

Oceanwide Expeditions reports that passengers and crew are calm and cooperating with isolation measures.  In this case isolation includes a strict cabin-only lockdown and “maximal physical distancing” as the crew continue with deep cleaning efforts all around the ship.

The company is working with Dutch authorities, the WHO, and other international partners to arrange medical evacuations as well.

The ship is expected to reroute to Spain’s Canary Islands (likely Las Palmas or Tenerife), which offer better medical facilities.

A Half-Full Ship

Hondius, built in 2019, is a modern ice-strengthened vessel designed for small-group expeditions. This sailing was only about half full, which has helped with isolation and response efforts.

This is an extremely rare incident, as hantavirus outbreaks on ships are highly unusual. The story is developing rapidly with new information coming in every few minutes.

Health authorities are still testing, contact tracing, and making plans to get passengers and crew back to their 23 different countries, including 17 Americans, 19 British nationals, and four Canadians.

Cruise Fever will continue to monitor the situation and provide updates as this story develops.