THE HAGUE, June 1 (Xinhua) -- Luxury cruise vessel MV Hondius is preparing to resume service after undergoing a deep cleaning and disinfection in Rotterdam, the Netherllands, following a hantavirus-related incident, operator Oceanwide Expeditions said on Monday.
The vessel is scheduled to begin its first Arctic voyage of the season from Longyearbyen, Norway, on June 13.
"On May 29, the vessel was assessed and was cleared on May 30 by officials from the Dutch Public Health Service (GGD) to return to full operations," Oceanwide Expeditions said in a statement.
The company said the disinfection process was carried out by a professional team and all eight decks of the vessel were systematically treated following an initial inspection and assessment. Upon completion of the treatment, the ship underwent further inspection and received official clearance from local GGD authorities. It has been allowed to resume operations.
"Medical and epidemiological information confirms that the hantavirus was introduced before embarkation and did not originate from the vessel or from our onboard operational standards. " the company added.
The hantavirus-hit MV Hondius arrived at the Dutch port of Rotterdam on May 18 for disinfection, ending a voyage that attracted the attention of international public health authorities after several individuals on board were linked to infections with Andes virus, a rare strain of hantavirus. ■