Shocking moment hantavirus cruise ship captain blamed first death on natural causes

A British former cop has been identified as one of the sickened people hauled off the hantavirus-plagued MV Hondius cruise ship in a hazmat suit — with his wife detailing his “very traumatic few days.”

Martin Anstee, who now works as an expedition guide on board the Dutch-flagged liner, is the first of those hospitalized from the deadly outbreak to have been identified after he and two others were evacuated in dramatic scenes Wednesday.

“I’m doing okay. I’m not feeling too bad,” the 56-year-old ex-cop told Sky News from his hospital bed in Amsterdam.

British ex-police officer Martin Anstee was evacuated from the MV Hondius cruise ship after the hantavirus outbreak.Martin Anstee / Facebook
“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 stressed.

Anstee, who worked in law enforcement for 33 years, said doctors would have a clearer picture on his prognosis in a few days.

He added that he “can’t say any more at the moment” when asked about his specific symptoms.

His wife, Nicola, told the Telegraph that he was in stable condition after a “very traumatic few days” trapped on the cruise ship marooned off West Africa.

“The fear with this virus is it can deteriorate very quickly, so it’s been a bit up and down for him,” she said.

“I don’t believe he’s in imminent danger now, but it was horrible.”

A passenger evacuated from the MV Hondius is escorted to an ambulance after landing in Amsterdam, Netherlands, on May 6, 2026.AP
“He’s relieved to be off the ship. He had it quite mild, then it got a bit more serious and now he’s stable again,” she added.

A 41-year-old Dutch national and a 65-year-old German national were removed from the ship alongside Anstee on Wednesday.

Follow the latest updates on the hantavirus outbreak stemming from the MV Hondius cruise ship

It wasn’t immediately clear what condition they were in — but authorities said earlier that two of the three patients believed to be infected were seriously ill.

The MV Hondius cruise ship is anchored at a port in Praia, Cape Verde, on May 6, 2026.AP
Three others — a Dutch couple and a German national — have already died in the outbreak on the MV Hondius. At least eight people, including a Swiss citizen, are suspected to have contracted the virus, the World Health Organization said.

The virus found in the victims has been confirmed as the Andean strain, which can spread among humans through very close contact.

Here’s the latest on the deadly hantavirus outbreak on the Dutch cruise ship:

Health officials think they’ve tracked down source of cruise ship hantavirus outbreak
Unnerving photo shows suspected hantavirus patient evacuated from MV Hondius cruise — as 1 ex-passenger tests positive in Switzerland
Hantavirus outbreak spreads to Europe after MV Hondius cruise passenger tests positive back home
The ‘concerning’ truth about the hantavirus cruise outbreak — and how long passengers may actually need to isolate

It usually spreads by inhaling contaminated rodent droppings.

Experts have stressed that human-to-human contagion is very rare and requires very close contact, but the outbreak has put health authorities on high alert. Countries worldwide, including the US, were scrambling to trace people who had left the cruise ship before the outbreak was known.