For the past six days the Hondius has been en route from the Canary Islands, where passengers were allowed to leave the ship. Passengers have since been flown to more than 20 countries for quarantine.
The outbreak on the ship has led to the deaths of three people. At least nine people have been confirmed infected.
A total of 27 people are currently on board. 25 of them are crew members and two are employees of the public health authority RIVM, reports the Dutch Algemeen Dagblad .
Several of them will be accommodated in portable cabins near the place where the ship has docked. These are 25 white containers that the authorities have set up along the water between a row of wind turbines.
White protective suits
An AP journalist says he saw people boarding the ship via the pier wearing white protective suits.
The crew will be immediately quarantined, and those who cannot be repatriated will be housed in cabins equipped with satellite internet and food service, says harbor master René de Vries.
"The ship is in distress, the crew members are sick, probably infected. In that case, I think it is unacceptable to say 'no, you are not welcome in Europe's largest port,'" he says.
On Monday, Minister of Social Affairs Jakob Forssmed (KD) participated in the World Health Assembly in Geneva, where, among other things, the hantavirus has dominated the discussions.
"The Netherlands, and all countries with which we have had coordinated contacts, take following the recommendations from WHO and ECDC very seriously," he tells TT.
He emphasizes the importance of not relaxing at work.
"It is early in a development like this that you really have the chance to influence the course of events."
The ship is being disinfected
The port's health authorities will collaborate with the Erasmus Medical Center and the City of Rotterdam to ensure the Hondius is safely disinfected, according to de Vries.
She will be cleaned here at the pier, he says.
The disinfection is expected to take about three days, Yvonne van Duijnhoven, head of public health in Rotterdam, told the AP. Once it is complete and public health workers have inspected the Hondius, the goal is for the ship to be able to begin a new voyage from Keflavik, Iceland, on May 29.
