Far out in the South Atlantic, a ship built to carry travelers toward the frozen edges of the world has become a floating question about how quickly a hidden danger can travel among people who trusted the journey. Three lives have been lost, one passenger lies in a hospital far away, and roughly 150 people wait at sea off Cape Verde, unsure of which shore, if any, will take them. What unsettles most is not only the virus itself but the weeks of silence that let ordinary days continue while a death had already passed unseen among them.
How a Dream Antarctic Cruise Became a Hantavirus Nightmare on the MV Hondius
Three passengers have died, around 150 people remain stranded aboard the ship, and a British passenger was medically evacuated to South Africa after falling seriously ill.
"We're not just headlines. We're people with families."
Mark
Why has this story grabbed so many people?
Mimi
Because it began as a dream trip. Berths cost $16,000 to $25,000, and the route covered Antarctica and some of the most remote islands on Earth. Then passengers were stuck off Cape Verde.
Mark
What stands out most to you?
Mimi
The delay. The first death was April 11, and the body stayed aboard until April 24. Passengers apparently went weeks without knowing.
Luke
Careful there. The reporting says passengers were unaware of that first death. It doesn't tell us who knew what, or when. That part is open.
Mark
And how many deaths are actually tied to hantavirus?
Luke
Three people have died, per the operator. The Netherlands confirmed the virus in the Dutch woman. The British patient tested positive in South Africa. The German passenger's cause of death isn't established, and nothing confirms the Dutch man's cause either.
Mimi
So the headline count of three is real, but the link to the virus is confirmed only for some.
Mark
Is the public at risk?
Luke
Authorities in South Africa and Cape Verde both say no, and Cape Verde's reasoning is that the ship stayed at sea. That's their assessment. The WHO says person-to-person spread is rare, not impossible.
Mark
What are the people aboard living through?
Mimi
Rosmarin said they are not just headlines. They have families waiting. Two crew members have respiratory symptoms, and no one yet knows what those mean.
El Pulso
- A first death on April 11 went unannounced to most passengers for weeks while the Hondius sailed on toward remote islands.
- Three people are dead, and a British passenger fighting hantavirus was flown to a Johannesburg hospital after falling gravely ill.
- Around 150 people remain aboard, stranded off Cape Verde with no permission to disembark and no medical screening yet allowed.
- Oceanwide is weighing a dash to Las Palmas or Tenerife for evacuation, while health officials insist the land population faces no risk.
Far out in the South Atlantic, a ship built to carry travelers toward the frozen edges of the world has become a floating question about how quickly a hidden danger can travel among people who trusted the journey. Three lives have been lost, one passenger lies in a hospital far away, and roughly 150 people wait at sea off Cape Verde, unsure of which shore, if any, will take them. What unsettles most is not only the virus itself but the weeks of silence that let ordinary days continue while a death had already passed unseen among them.
On May 2, passenger Jake Rosmarin posted a calm video of cows on Tristan da Cunha, a remote volcanic island in the South Atlantic. That evening he confirmed he was aboard the Hondius, the Antarctic expedition ship run by Oceanwide Expeditions, and said no more out of respect for those involved. Nothing in his earlier posts had hinted at trouble.
The trouble was already old. The first victim, a Dutch man, died on April 11 as the ship headed toward Tristan da Cunha. His body stayed aboard until it was taken off at St Helena on April 24, and his wife went home with it. Days later she fell ill and died too. A British passenger was later evacuated to South Africa, where he tested positive for hantavirus, and a German passenger died on May 2, with the cause still unknown. Most people on board had gone weeks without knowing.
The ship's mood on social media told a different story. On May 1, chef Khabir Moraes posted a cheerful clip of crew swimming beside an anchored ship, noting the water was 4,700 metres deep. By May 3, with the Hondius off Cape Verde and forbidden to let anyone off, Rosmarin spoke on camera, his voice shaking. "We're not just headlines," he said. "We're people with families, with lives." All he wanted was to feel safe and get home.
Now Oceanwide is considering sailing on to Las Palmas or Tenerife, since Cape Verdean authorities have not yet allowed evacuation or screening. The World Health Organization notes hantavirus spreads mainly through rodents and only rarely between people, and Cape Verde says the land population is not at risk while the ship stays at sea. Watching next: whether anyone is allowed ashore, where the ship heads, and whether crew with respiratory symptoms test positive.
On May 2, passenger Jake Rosmarin posted a video of cows he had spotted on Tristan da Cunha, a remote volcanic island in the South Atlantic. Nothing in it suggested trouble. That evening he posted again: "For those who have seen recent news, yes, I am currently onboard the M/V Hondius." He said he would not say more out of respect for those involved.
The Hondius is an Antarctic expedition ship run by Oceanwide Expeditions. A hantavirus outbreak aboard has left at least three people dead, according to the operator. They are a Dutch couple and a German national. About 150 people remain on the ship. Two cases have been confirmed, and at least two crew members are showing respiratory symptoms.
The timeline is what makes the story so unsettling. The first victim, the Dutch man, died on April 11 as the ship headed toward Tristan da Cunha. His body stayed aboard until April 24, when it was taken off at St Helena. His wife accompanied it home. Oceanwide said so in a statement on Monday. Three days after that, the wife fell sick, and she later died. Another passenger, a Briton, became seriously ill and was medically evacuated to South Africa. South African authorities have confirmed he tested positive for hantavirus, and he is being treated in a Johannesburg hospital. The Netherlands has confirmed the virus in the Dutch woman who died.
The German passenger died on May 2, Oceanwide said, and the cause has not yet been established. Passengers apparently went weeks without knowing that the first death had occurred.
The voyage began in March from Ushuaia, in southern Argentina, marketed as an Antarctic nature expedition, with berths priced between $16,000 and $25,000. The route took the ship past mainland Antarctica, the Falklands, South Georgia, Nightingale Island, Tristan da Cunha, St Helena and Ascension, before it reached Cape Verdean waters on May 3.
Social media gave an unusual view of the mood on board. On May 1, the ship's chef, Khabir Moraes, posted a cheerful video of himself and colleagues swimming off a rubber dinghy, the ship anchored behind them. He noted the water was 4,700 metres deep. Reuters could not establish whether he knew of the deaths when he posted, and he did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Rosmarin's tone changed. On May 3, with the ship off the Cape Verde islands and no permission to offload anyone, he spoke on camera, visibly distraught. "What's happening right now is very real for all of us," he said. His voice trembling, he added: "We're not just headlines. We're people with families, with lives, with people waiting for us at home." He said all they wanted was to feel safe and get home. Two days earlier, he had shared his excitement at spotting a critically endangered Wilkins's Finch on Nightingale Island. He did not immediately respond to a text message seeking comment.
Oceanwide says Cape Verdean health authorities have not yet allowed a medical evacuation or the screening of those aboard. The company is considering sailing on to Las Palmas or Tenerife instead. The World Health Organization says hantavirus is spread mainly by rodents but can, in rare cases, pass between people. South African health authorities say locals have no need to worry about spread onshore. Cape Verde's authorities say that because the ship has stayed at sea, there is currently no risk to the population on land.
What to watch now is whether the ship gets permission to land anyone, whether it heads for the Canary Islands, and whether the crew members with respiratory symptoms test positive.
Citas Notables
We're not just headlines. We're people with families, with lives, with people waiting for us at home.— Jake Rosmarin, passenger on the MV Hondius
Since the ship has remained at sea, there is currently no risk to the population on land.— Cape Verde authorities
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