Seven Brits were among 30 passengers who left the stricken cruise liner after a Dutch man died with his wife later testing positive for hantavirus and dying herself
Seven Brits left the MV Hondius ship after the first death, according to new information released about the doomed trip.
The cruise liner operator has said that 30 passengers disembarked on St Helena on April 24, after the first guest death on board. It had emerged two Brits, who left the boat, are in isolation back in the UK but the status of the five others is not known.
So far, three people who were guests on the ship have now died after the suspected Hantavirus outbreak. One Brit is still in intensive care in South Africa where he was tested positive for the virus and another, a former police officer who was a guide on the ship, is in Amsterdam receiving treatment.
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In a statement released by Oceanwide Expeditions on Thursday morning they said the ship left Cape Verde at 7.15pm on Wednesday and is sailing for Granadilla in Tenerife. The statement said: “This is expected to take 3-4 days. No symptomatic individuals are present on board. Oceanwide Expeditions remains in close and continual discussion with relevant authorities regarding our exact point of arrival, quarantine and screening procedures for all guests, and a precise timeline.”
The ship owners confirmed there were 114 guests who boarded in Ushuaia, Argentina on April 1 with 30 guests disembarking on Saint Helena on April 24. They said: “This number includes the body of the guest who passed away on board m/v Hondius on 11 April 2026.
“The first confirmed case of hantavirus was not reported until 4 May 2026. These disembarked guests have all been contacted by Oceanwide Expeditions. We are working to establish details of all passengers and crew who embarked and disembarked on various stops of m/v Hondius since March 20.”
The Brit flown to the Netherlands with three others on Wednesday was Martin Anstee, 56, who had been described as ‘seriously ill’ on board the ship. He is now said to be ‘stable’ and has told how he is now doing ‘okay’ and awaiting tests in isolation. Before joining the boat the former policeman described it as a “trip of a lifetime”. But the talented wildlife photographer ended up getting sick, then waiting days to be removed from the ship.
Martin is now being treated in Amsterdam. He was part of the guide team on the “incredible trip” which started on April 1st from Argentina. The guide was keen to photograph wildlife with passengers on Tristan da Cunha, St Helena and the Cape Verde islands. He said: “I will be part of the guide team on this incredible trip…It is one of the most fascinating trips you can be involved in. It really is the trip of a lifetime”.
But he was struck down ended up seriously ill after three people died on the ship, which set sail from Argentina a month ago, following the hantavirus outbreak. Martin was among three people evacuated from the ship on Wednesday to the Netherlands for treatment, operator Oceanwide Expeditions said. Prof Robin May, chief scientific officer at the UKHSA, told BBC Breakfast it was his understanding that “he is doing well”.
The dad told Sky News: “I’m doing okay. I’m not feeling too bad. There are still lots of tests to be done. I have no idea how long I’ll be in the hospital for. I’m in isolation at the moment.” He said that the day after tomorrow, his doctors should have a clearer picture and regarding symptoms, he added: “I can’t say any more than at the moment.”
Authorities in South Africa and Europe are now trying to trace contacts of any of these passengers who got off the ship, the Dutch ministry also said. Tragedy first struck on the MV Hondius, when a 69-year-old Dutch man died on April 11. His wife, also 69, and his body were disembarked at St Helena on April 24. Tragically his wife then became unwell from hantavirus after flying to South Africa and died.
After her death another Dutch woman was taken to hospital in Amsterdam, after showing possible symptoms of a hantavirus infection, the country’s health ministry has said. She had been a flight attendant on the Dutch airline KLM, who had been in contact with the woman who died of the virus in Johannesburg, South Africa, the Dutch broadcaster RTL reported. She has mild symptoms and is being tested while in isolation. The third passenger, a German passenger, died on May 2.
The authorities in Argentina are looking at the theory the Dutch couple who first died had been infected by the hantavirus during a bird-waitching trip near the port where the boat was docked. They are said to have visited a landfill site in the city of Ushuaia where it is feared infected rats may have been.
Jake Rosmarin, a US travel blogger updated his followers announcing “Great news. En route to the Canary Islands”. He said when they get to the Canary islands they “hope to eventually have access to the testing and medical care needed before eventually returning home.”
He also said he wanted to correct some misinformation circulating online. “This is not a traditional cruise ship but an expedition vessel with approximately 150 people onboard, including both passengers and crew. These vessels operate in the polar regions and other environmentally sensitive areas that require extremely high cleaning standards and strict biosecurity protocols.
“Claims that this vessel is dirty or poorly maintained are simply not true. Other than the two unwell passengers already referenced publicly and now evacuated, everyone else onboard is doing well and remains in good spirits. At the end of the day, we are all just people who want to stay safe and eventually return home to our families.”
People in at least three US states are being monitored for potential hantavirus infections, according to reports. The New York Times reported none has shown signs of illness, and that Georgia is monitoring two residents and California an undisclosed number.
