An American travel influencer has broken down in tears while describing fear and uncertainty aboard the luxury cruise ship MV Hondius, where a suspected hantavirus outbreak has reportedly claimed three lives. More than 150 passengers and crew remain stranded off the coast of West Africa after authorities in Cape Verde refused permission for the vessel to dock.

The ship is operated by Oceanwide Expeditions and was on a long polar voyage travelling from Argentina to Antarctica when the situation unfolded.

Emotional video from onboard the vessel

Jake Rosmarin, a Boston-based travel blogger with over 44,000 Instagram followers, shared an emotional video from the Dutch-flagged ship as concern grew onboard.

“I normally wouldn’t make the deal like this, but I feel like I need to say something. So I wrote a few things down. I’m currently on board and behaviours and what’s happening right now is very real for all of us here,” he said.

He added, “We’re not just a story. We’re not just headlines where people have families with blogs, with people waiting for us at home. There’s a lot of uncertainty. And that’s the hardest part. All we want right now is to feel safe, to have clarity and to get home.”

“So if you’re seeing coverage of this, just remember that there are real people behind it and that this isn’t something happening somewhere far away.”

“It’s happening to us right now. I’ll share more when I can, but for now, I just ask for your kindness and understanding.”

Deaths reported and medical concerns raised

Three people, a Dutch couple and a German national, have died since April 11 on the cruise. On April 27, a man was evacuated to South Africa and later tested positive for hantavirus.

The ship had been operating as part of Oceanwide Expeditions’ scheduled voyage when the health situation escalated onboard.

In a letter sent to passengers, cruise officials said, “As you are aware, we are responding to several cases of an unidentified virus. We regret to share that, overnight, a guest presenting severe symptoms has passed away.”

The company added, “We are currently anchored offshore of Cape Verde and awaiting approval from the Cape Verde authorities to disembark, with priority given to those who require immediate medical care. At this stage, we do not have authorisation from the Cape Verde authorities to disembark.”

Oceanwide Expeditions further stated, “Hantavirus has not currently been confirmed in the two persons still on board who require medical care. Nor has it been established that the virus is connected to the three deaths.”
With agency inputs