The MV Hondius cruise ship is due to arrive Monday at the Netherlands’ Port of Rotterdam, where the remaining crew will disembark and the vessel will be disinfected, according to ship owner Oceanwide Expeditions.
The Hondius is at the center of a deadly hantavirus outbreak that has killed three people, sickened 10 and placed dozens into quarantine, according to the World Health Organization’s latest tally.
On Saturday, health officials announced that a Canadian passenger who was aboard the Hondius tested positive for the Andes strain of hantavirus earlier in the week and remains hospitalized in isolation. The passenger’s travel companion, who had reported mild symptoms, later tested negative, the Public Health Agency of Canada said in an update Sunday.
Passengers disembarked the ship in a lengthy process involving multiple countries and the World Health Organization that began last week.
When the ship arrives Monday, crew members and medical staff still on board will disembark in a staggered process, Oceanwide Expeditions said. None of those who remain on the ship are currently symptomatic.
The vessel will be cleaned and disinfected “in close coordination” with the disembarking process, the company added. Its arrival at the Rotterdam port is expected between 10 a.m. and noon local time, though that is subject to change.
A company spokesperson said “all current indications” point to the ship returning to service after it is cleaned and disinfected.
“Once the process is complete and conclusions have been reached in consultation with the relevant authorities, we will communicate accordingly,” spokesperson Kiki Hirschfeldt told NBC News.
The ship already appears to be accepting bookings for expeditions to Antarctica in November and December, according to listings with the travel company Antarctica Cruises.
