I was heartbroken yesterday afternoon to read about the hantavirus cases on M.V Hondius as it sailed from Ushuaia to Cape Verde while relocating from Antarctica to the north polar regions for its summer itinerary. This was the ship that Drew and I spent three weeks aboard just over a year ago and several of the crew that we got to know are still onboard. My prayers are with all the crew and passengers as they and Oceanwide Expeditions deal with the crisis.
Reading stories like this, people are likely to jump to the conclusion that this is just another cost-cutting cruise line skimping on hygiene to make a quick buck and paying for it as a result. From my experience, however, that is very unlikely to be the case here. Hondius was, and I assume still is, a scrupulously clean vessel with a skilled and dedicated crew. This is also not the kind of cruise ship most US cruisers experience. Hondius is a small expedition ship built to operate in some of the most environmentally-sensitive and remote regions of the planet. Because of this, and due to very strict requirements imposed on vessels making landings in some of those areas, biosecurity on board is taken very seriously indeed. Before landings in South Georgia, for example, local authorities come on board and conduct rigorous inspections of the ship and passengers to ensure no foreign biological material is taken ashore – no seeds are stuck in jacket velcro, no mud on boots.
These inspections also make it feel unlikely that anyone would catch a rodent-borne virus while on the ship. Starting in 2011, South Georgia conducted a decade-long campaign to rid the island of invasive rodents and was declared rodent free in 2018. Since then, it has enforced strict adherence to rules intended to prevent any reinfestation from visiting ships. Part of the inspection regime before landing on the island now involves trained sniffer dogs coming onboard to detect the presence of rodents. If any signs of rodent activity are found, the ship will not be allowed to land people on the island and may lose its license to operate there.
I’m obviously speculating here but it strikes me that the virus was likely contracted by a passenger before boarding (hantavirus has a 1 to 8 week incubation period and, although person-to-person transmission is rare, some South American strains are apparently able to spread this way) with symptoms appearing after they sailed.
Regardless of what happened, I’ll be thinking and praying for all those involved. Let’s hope those infected get prompt medical attention and that the others on the ship remain safe and are able to return home as promptly as possible.
For the technically inclined...