THE Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) has confirmed that all 38 Filipino crew members of cruise ship MV Hondius have not been infected by the deadly hantavirus, despite an outbreak onboard that killed three passengers.
Migrant Workers Secretary Hans Leo Cacdac said in a media briefing that the Filipino crew members are being monitored by the Philippine government.
He added that 24 of the said Filipino crew are expected to disembark the vessel while the other 14 will remain onboard to help navigate the ship to its next port of destination.
The 24 crew are composed of hotel staff while the 14 members are from the deck and engine departments.
Those who will disembark will undergo a mandatory 40 days quarantine and monitoring period in The Netherlands.
As of this writing, MV Hondius was cruising en route to Canary Islands in Northwestern Africa.
“Based on the last report, the ship was allowed to dock in the Canary Islands,” Cacdac said.
He added that the outbreak primarily involved passengers of the cruise ship, including three who reportedly died since the ship sailed from Argentina a month ago, while some have been evacuated from the ship and were hospitalized.
Cacdac assured the Philippine government, through the DMW, Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA), and the Department of Health (DOH), under President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s directive, is closely coordinating with international health authorities, including the World Health Organization (WHO), on the issue.
Cadac said the DMW and the DOH are maintaining direct communication with the seafarers through the ship’s manning agency and owner.
He added that the government is also providing support to the families of the 38 seafarers.
Meanwhile, Cacdac said that while some crew members have expressed a desire to return home, their repatriation will depend on strict medical clearance procedures in line with international health protocols.
“Their safe repatriation is being worked on, we just need to be a little more patient as this is a global concern, therefore, we need to abide by global medical authorities and global medical clearances, processes for medical clearances, and protocols,” he said.
The WHO said hantavirus victims on the ship may have been infected prior to joining the cruise, and human-to-human transmission on board cannot be ruled out.
The vessel’s voyage began on April 1, 2026, departing from Ushuaia, Argentina. Its original itinerary was a specialized polar expedition across the South Atlantic, featuring stops at remote locations including the South Shetland Islands, South Georgia, Tristan da Cunha, and Saint Helena.
