Oceanwide Expeditions was thrust into the spotlight in April when three people died of hantavirus while on board its polar ship MV Hondius

The outbreak led to widespread media coverage, as comparisons were drawn between hantavirus and coronavirus, causing speculation the viral disease would spread and have a global impact.

Cruise Trade News sat down with Oceanwide Expeditions chief executive Remi Bouysset to hear how the tragic events unfolded, and how the line reacted swiftly to ensure the safety of its passengers and crew.

The spread of hantavirus on MV Hondius became global news very quickly and drew comparisons to the coronavirus pandemic. What was the timeline of events?

First and foremost, this entire situation was a tragedy. Three people lost their lives, there are people still in quarantine and it has had a huge impact on all the passengers and crew who were on board. At the initial virus breakout, it felt like the movie Alien: there was a monster on board that no one could see, and it was killing people. Once crew had discovered it was hantavirus – which no one seemed to have heard of – we operated in three phases: crisis management to try and help the critically ill passengers by ensuring we could disembark in Cape Verde; moving to Las Palmas to build a coalition of various governments, medical authorities, embassies and the World Health Organisation to repatriate their onboard nationals; and, as we are a Dutch carrier, we needed to bring the ship back to the Netherlands to disinfect it, which has now been done.

What was the reaction from the onboard passengers and crew?

We had around 100 passengers and 50 crew on board at the time and they were all amazing. We had good, kind people on board who understood the gravity of the situation and were calm and respectful, and there was very strong leadership from the captain and crew who kept the passengers updated with information as circumstances developed. The crew went above and beyond to support the passengers and the company – this certainly wasn’t in any of their job descriptions and I was immensely proud of how they handled it.

What learnings will you take forward?

We will review the questionnaire we send to passengers before they embark to see if they have been travelling in South America prior to boarding, as that is where hantavirus is most endemic, and we will act accordingly. We need to formalise our crisis management protocols so the crisis management team is clear on what it needs to do in a situation like this, and we can also think about evacuation processes and build on the work we did during this crisis.

At the initial virus breakout, it felt like the movie Alien: there was a monster on board that no one could see, and it was killing people

How did the situation impact the business?

The business was not our main focus during the outbreak as we were completely focused on saving people, so we’ve taken a hit for sure. We had to cancel three departures and we changed the entire MV Hondius crew so they could all go into quarantine. Unsurprisingly, we got a lot of concerned calls from customers scheduled to sail this summer, but once we explained the cleaning and safety procedures we have taken – we undoubtedly have the cleanest ship in service now – we didn’t have any cancellations. Commercially, the month of May was slow in terms of new bookings, which isn’t a surprise given how much attention we have drawn in the press, but I’m told by my industry peers and competitors that it has been a slow month for the entire market. And although the travel industry is sensitive in the short term as customers react quickly to global crises, the industry is resilient in the long term so I’m not overly concerned about the future of the brand. We have been around for 35 years and we’re not going anywhere.

What effect will this have on the wider industry?

I am worried about the impact on future Antarctica cruises departing from South America. The next Antarctic season is coming and cruise lines are scheduled to bring 80,000 passengers to the region so we need to work out how to do that safely and efficiently. I am fearful people will view hantavirus as a risk in South America and they will be wary of taking an Antarctica cruise because of it. The key thing we need is an education and awareness campaign so passengers know it is safe to come to the region and that there are procedures in place in case something like this were to happen again. We also need to involve local authorities in Ushuaia to ensure there is a medical facility capable of handling a viral outbreak.

What message do you want to share in the wake of this tragedy?

This is a human tragedy and a hugely unfortunate event. I take solace in the fact we managed the crisis reasonably well and I would now share a message of optimism that Oceanwide Expeditions is still solid, we have learned lessons and we are now about to begin our Arctic season where we will take 4,000 passengers to some amazing places. The future looks bright.