Turkish travel vlogger Ruhi Cenet has revealed how a luxury South Atlantic expedition aboard the cruise ship MV Hondius turned into a deadly hantavirus outbreak that has so far been linked to three deaths, multiple infections and an international health alert. His detailed account of the voyage has now raised serious concerns about delayed safety precautions, onboard medical preparedness and the possible exposure of isolated island communities during the outbreak.
The 35-year-old YouTuber had boarded the MV Hondius in Argentina on April 1 as part of a 36-day expedition departing from Ushuaia. The voyage was intended to document Tristan da Cunha, one of the most remote inhabited island chains in the world. According to Cenet, the journey initially appeared calm and luxurious, with 59 crew members attending to 88 passengers, many of whom were elderly tourists and birdwatchers participating in the expedition.
However, within days, the atmosphere onboard reportedly changed dramatically after the first unexplained death occurred aboard the ship. According to the World Health Organisation, the outbreak linked to the vessel has now resulted in five confirmed hantavirus cases, three additional suspected infections and three deaths. Health officials have also warned that more cases could still emerge because the virus can incubate for as long as six weeks before symptoms appear.
Cenet said the first clear sign that something was wrong came on April 12 when the ship’s captain addressed passengers regarding the sudden death of a passenger the previous night. In a video recorded by the vlogger, the captain informed passengers that the death had been caused by “natural causes” and assured everyone onboard that the illness was not infectious and that the ship remained safe.
At the time, many passengers reportedly accepted the explanation, particularly because the vessel had been travelling through rough ocean conditions that some believed may have contributed to the passenger’s illness. Cenet later said he initially assumed the death was connected to difficult weather and rough seas rather than an infectious disease outbreak.
Despite the death onboard, Cenet alleged that life on the ship continued almost entirely without restrictions or emergency precautions for nearly two weeks afterward. According to him, passengers continued dining together at buffet tables, socialising in common areas and even travelling ashore during stops without masks, isolation protocols or medical screening measures being introduced.
The YouTuber described this period as deeply disturbing in hindsight, saying passengers unknowingly continued interacting closely despite the possibility of infection. As concerns slowly increased, Cenet and his cameraman reportedly chose to voluntarily isolate themselves from crowds and began eating meals inside their cabin rather than participating in communal dining.
According to Cenet, the seriousness of the hantavirus outbreak only became fully clear much later in the voyage. He eventually disembarked from the ship at Saint Helena on April 24. The following day, he reportedly travelled to South Africa on the same flight as the wife of the first passenger who had died onboard. She later died as well. Another passenger subsequently died afterward, intensifying fears surrounding the outbreak.
Cenet strongly criticised the cruise operator’s handling of the situation and argued that the warning signs should have been treated with far greater urgency. He stated that potentially infected passengers should have been isolated immediately and that blood testing and medical screening should have been conducted both before and during the voyage once suspicious illnesses emerged.
According to him, the ship reportedly continued sailing for another 11 days after he disembarked before stricter quarantine measures were finally introduced. He also questioned whether the vessel was adequately prepared medically for handling infectious disease emergencies during remote expeditions.
Cenet particularly criticised the fact that only a single doctor was available onboard to manage the outbreak among nearly 150 passengers and crew members. Reports later indicated that the ship’s doctor himself contracted the virus and is now reportedly fighting for his life.
The vlogger additionally expressed regret over the vessel stopping at Tristan da Cunha after the first passenger death had already occurred. He said passengers may have unknowingly exposed residents of the isolated island community to the virus. According to Cenet, this possibility especially troubled him because the island has limited healthcare infrastructure, very few doctors and minimal medical resources to respond to a serious infectious disease outbreak.
Following the worsening situation, the MV Hondius later entered quarantine off Cape Verde before continuing toward Spain’s Canary Islands. Authorities subsequently ordered passengers still onboard to isolate inside their cabins and wear protective masks while health officials continued monitoring for new cases and symptoms.
The outbreak has now drawn international attention because hantavirus is considered a rare but potentially deadly disease. Most strains are spread through exposure to infected rodent droppings or contaminated environments, though some strains can spread between humans through extremely close contact. Health authorities are continuing investigations to determine how the virus spread aboard the vessel and whether earlier precautions could have reduced the scale of the outbreak.
