A British man remains in intensive care in South Africa after testing positive for hantavirus on board MV Hondius, as passengers claim staff held a barbecue despite the deadly cruise ship outbreak
Workers aboard the doomed hantavirus-stricken cruise ship “organised a massive barbecue as if nothing had occurred,” a passenger trapped on the ship has claimed.
The luxury vessel, the MV Hondius, is now sailing towards the Canary Islands, where it’s expected to dock this weekend. A French passenger has spoken saying their worries are mounting by the day as guests are not confined to their rooms – although mask wearing is being enforced.
Speaking to BFM TV she said: “People are not panicking, but you can feel that it is starting to weigh on you, especially since we don’t know where we are going.” She added: “We all eat together at the restaurant. There’s social distancing, but it’s only been in place for three days; we eat seated in a staggered pattern. There was a big barbecue on the boat, as if nothing had happened. After that, we do what we want on the boat.”
British passengers on board will likely be instructed to self-isolate for 45 days upon return by health officials, reports the Mirror. Three guests on MV Hondius have now died following the suspected lethal outbreak of the rat-borne virus. One Brit is currently in intensive care in South Africa where he tested positive for the virus. Another Brit, 56-year-old retired police officer Martin Anstee, is in a stable condition in a hospital in the Netherlands.
So far, eight cases have officially been reported. Health authorities are scrambling to trace dozens of people who disembarked at St Helena in the South Atlantic. Seven holidaymakers are among 30 passengers who disembarked from the troubled vessel after a Dutch man passed away, with his wife later testing positive for hantavirus and subsequently dying.
In a statement issued by Oceanwide Expeditions on Thursday morning, it was announced that the ship departed Cape Verde at 7.15pm on Wednesday and is en route to Granadilla in Tenerife.
The statement read: “This is expected to take 3-4 days. No symptomatic individuals are present on board. Oceanwide Expeditions remains in close and continual discussion with relevant authorities regarding our exact point of arrival, quarantine and screening procedures for all guests, and a precise timeline.”
The ship’s owners verified there were 114 guests who embarked in Ushuaia, Argentina on April 1, with 30 guests disembarking on Saint Helena on April 24. They stated: “This number includes the body of the guest who passed away on board m/v Hondius on 11 April 2026.
“The first confirmed case of hantavirus was not reported until 4 May 2026. These disembarked guests have all been contacted by Oceanwide Expeditions. We are working to establish details of all passengers and crew who embarked and disembarked on various stops of m/v Hondius since March 20.”
On Thursday it emerged that a man who wasn’t aboard the hantavirus-hit cruise ship – but shared a flight with someone who was – is reported to have caught the lethal disease as health officials keep him under close surveillance.
The unidentified passenger, from France, is being watched as a close contact case after allegedly showing symptoms of the rat-transmitted illness.
He had boarded the same aircraft as an infected Dutch passenger who departed the MV Hondius after experiencing stomach problems, but was unaware she was infected at the time.
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