Stranded on board ‘hantavirus ship’

“We’re not just a story. We’re not just headlines, we’re people with families, with lives, with people waiting for us at home,” a tearful Jake Rosmarin says.

For the American travel vlogger on board the luxury cruise liner MV Hondius in the Atlantic ocean, a dream voyage has taken a deadly turn.

He is among around 150 people from 23 countries on the vessel stranded near Cape Verde off the west coast of Africa.

Three confirmed and five suspected cases of hantavirus – a rare but severe disease usually spread by rodents – have since been identified.

Three passengers on the ship have died and several more are either ill or displaying symptoms after the MV Hondius set sail from Argentina around a month ago.

Health authorities are now racing to test samples from passengers, and the World Health Organisation (WHO) says it has possibly spread among those on board.

Spain had said the ship could sail to the Canary Islands, where those on board would be treated and repatriated after Cape Verdean officials declined to grant clearance earlier this week, leaving the vessel anchored nearby.

The WHO, however, on Wednesday said three suspected hantavirus patients were evacuated from the MV Hondius and are on their way to The Netherlands for medical care.

Also on Wednesday, Canary Islands president Fernando Clavijo pushed back against the Spanish government’s decision to allow the Dutch vessel to dock at the islands.

“There’s a lot of uncertainty, and that is the hardest part. All we want right now is to feel safe, to have clarity and to get home,” Rosmarin told his followers on TikTok on Monday.

Unlike his emotional recount, another passenger on the ship, Kasem Hato, says “the whole situation has been blown out of proportion”.

He says this was “partly because of one person panicking on the ship whose video has been circulating [in] the media,” an apparent reference to Rosmarin’s video.

“While his reaction is valid, it doesn’t represent the situation on board.

Everyone else (148 out of 149) has been calm, the situation is under control, and we just wish those who are sick a speedy recovery”, Hato, also a travel influencer, has posted on social media.

He says passengers are keeping themselves busy by reading, watching movies and having hot drinks.

In a series of follow-up posts, Rosmarin says it has taken “some time to settle my emotions” and “everyone on board is doing okay”.

He adds: “I’m feeling well, getting some fresh air and continue to be well fed and taken care of by the crew . . . just trying to focus on the positive.”

The operator of the cruise, Oceanwide Expeditions, says the atmosphere “remains calm, with passengers generally composed”.

“Oceanwide Expeditions is working to provide clarity and reassurance to guests and expedite their disembarkation and medical screening,” the company says in a statement.

A passenger, who wished to remain anonymous, says they are preparing for at least another three to four days at sea.

“At this point we don’t know when we will leave,” they say.

Almost one month since the first death, footage taken on board offers a glimpse into daily life.

Health officials covered in protective gear are seen disembarking the ship and plush lounges, usually a place for relaxation or late-night revelry, remain deserted.

Another passenger says the cruise staff have asked those on board to maintain social distancing, wear masks inside and sanitise hands frequently.

‘TRIP OF A LIFETIME’

It was a voyage that promised passengers the trip of a lifetime traversing some of the Atlantic’s most rugged and untouched landscapes.

The MV Hondius set off from Ushuaia in Argentina, the most southern city in the world, on 1 April.

“Fresh snow on the mountains, autumn colours along the shoreline and even some amazing wildlife,” Rosmarin, his voice brimming with excitement, tells followers in a video posted several weeks ago.

From Argentina it was onto the British territory of South Georgia, a world-renowned wildlife destination famous for its penguin colonies, and then Tristan da Cunha, the remotest inhabited island in the world.

Rosmarin’s social media videos offer a highlights reel of his month at sea – from bird watching and penguin spotting to sipping iced lattes on board.

“Moments like these are hard to explain, but they’re the ones that stay with you the most,” he says of Tristan da Cunha.

As the Hondius headed for the remote island of St Helena, the cruise operator was alerted to a worrying development.

On 11 April, a Dutch man died on board, the cause of his death unknown. Almost two weeks later his body was taken off the boat in St Helena, accompanied by his wife.

She was evacuated to South Africa, where authorities said she died in a Johannesburg hospital.

The WHO has since confirmed the woman (69) had the hantavirus.

On 27 April, a British passenger became unwell and was evacuated to South Africa, where they are in a critical but stable condition with the hantavirus.

Then on 2 May, a German national also died, bringing the total number of fatalities to three.

It remains unclear if they were infected.

South Africa’s health ministry yesterday said the Andes strain of the virus, known to spread between people in close contact, was identified in two people who had been evacuated from the ship to the country.

In an update yesterday, Hondius operator Oceanwide Expeditions said two infectious disease physicians were on their way from The Netherlands and would embark the vessel “after its anticipated departure from Cape Verde, provided the three individuals are successfully transferred”.

The operator said two of the evacuees have acute symptoms and will be taken to medical and screening facilities once aboard the aircraft.

The third “is closely associated with the guest who passed away on board” on 2 May, Oceanwide added in a statement.

The operator said the plan remains for the vessel to head to the Canary Islands after the evacuation in Cape Verde. – BBC

– Additional reporting by Ed Habershon and Malu Cursino.

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