5 May 2026, 17:00 CET
In addition to previous communications regarding the background and timeline of the medical situation on board m/v Hondius, the latest status is as follows:
- The vessel remains off the coast of Cape Verde.
- Discussions with the relevant authorities regarding next steps for m/v Hondius, including possible disembarkation and routing, are ongoing.
- Two crew members on board continue to require urgent medical care.
- Investigations into the cause of the illness and any possible connection between cases are ongoing.
- At this stage, no new symptomatic individuals on board have been identified beyond those previously reported.
- Preparations for the medical evacuation of individuals currently requiring urgent medical care are underway in close coordination with the relevant authorities.
As for the possible source of the hantavirus, we refer to comments by the director of the WHO, Dr Maria Van Kerkhove & UN Spokespersons, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3w__lSqhmzU stating that, although hantavirus is usually transmitted to humans via rodents (droppings/urine), the WHO is investigating possible human-to-human transmission on the ship. According to Van Kerkhove, it is suspected that the first infected person most probably contracted the virus before boarding.
To ensure that information shared externally remains accurate and consistent, Oceanwide Expeditions is currently communicating through written updates only.
All media inquiries should be directed to:
Mrs. Kiki Hirschfeldt: kiki@coebergh.nl
For all other matters, we refer to our previous communication of 4 May 2026, 23:30 CET (see below), which remains unchanged: