Cruise ship hit by hantavirus outbreak docks in Rotterdam

MV Hondius, the Dutch cruise ship hit by a deadly hantavirus outbreak, has docked at its final destination in Rotterdam.

Only the ship's crew were aboard for the last leg of the journey, as all passengers docked off the ship in the Canary Islands between 10 and 11 May.

Rotterdam port harbour master René de Vries said 25 mobile homes kitted out with catering and satellite communications would be available for the crew to self-isolate in.

Three people - a Dutch couple and a German woman - died after travelling on the ship, with two of them confirmed to have had the virus. Canadian authorities confirmed another case on Sunday, bringing the number of infections among cruise passengers to 11.

On Friday, the World Health Organization (WHO) had said eight cases were confirmed and a further two were suspected.

Director of GGD Rotterdam-Rijnmond, Yvonnes van Duijnhoven, said the ship's doctor and nurse had collected samples aboard. These will be tested on the ship's arrival and further tests will be carried out on Monday afternoon to check if the crew have hantavirus.

Hantavirus is a group of viruses carried by rodents. While most hantaviruses do not pass from person to person, rare instances of human transmission have been documented with the Andes virus strain, which is the strain behind this outbreak.

The World Health Organization (WHO) has recommended 42 days of isolation for those leaving the MV Hondius.

De Vries said the port received a request to dock the cruise 10 days ago and, after contacting the regional health service, agreed the Dutch-flagged ship would be welcome.

The port collaborated with health and local authorities ahead of MV Hondius' arrival, de Vries said.

Now the ship is moored, "[it] will be properly cleaned and then she can leave again," he added.

The luxury cruise, operated by Oceanwide Expeditions, began its journey on 1 April in Ushuaia, Argentina.

About 150 passengers and crew from 28 countries are reported initially to have been aboard the vessel, but dozens disembarked on the island of St Helena on 24 April.

Cape Verde was the vessel's intended final destination, but authorities there prevented passengers from disembarking.

The WHO and the European Union then requested that Spain allow the ship to sail to the Canary Islands and coordinate the repatriation of those on board. On 10 May the ship arrived in Tenerife where passengers still aboard disembarked.

The ship, which has now reached its final destination, set off to the Netherlands on 11 May with crew members and medical staff.