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A recent hantavirus-related incident involving the cruise ship MV Hondius highlights how a health scare can disrupt shipping operations, delaying vessels and cargo movements while exposing businesses to potential financial losses.
It has drawn attention to a broader vulnerability in global trade, where disruptions can interrupt the movement of goods without causing physical damage to ships, cargo or port infrastructure.
While the hantavirus outbreak on the MV Hondius was ultimately contained, insurance specialists said it shows that health-related restrictions, inspections and quarantine measures can quickly escalate into broader operational challenges for ports and supply chains.
“An incident like this at port can very quickly shift into a multi-agency operational event affecting berth availability and cargo movement,” said Juliet Maulin, head of aviation and marine at Gallagher Insurance Brokers (GIB) South Africa.
In practical terms, this means multiple port authorities may need to co-ordinate a response, which can slow ship docking and disrupt cargo handling.
In busy port systems, vessels may be held offshore pending inspections or clearance procedures, while delays can create congestion and disrupt cargo flows.
For businesses reliant on tightly co-ordinated logistics networks, even short interruptions can result in missed delivery deadlines, increased costs and contractual complications.
The risk is particularly relevant for industries handling time-sensitive goods such as agricultural produce, pharmaceuticals and critical industrial inputs, where delays can have financial consequences even when cargo remains undamaged.
Supply-chain risk
The incident also highlighted a broader shift in supply-chain risk. Traditionally, businesses have focused on protecting physical assets against events such as accidents, fires and infrastructure failures. Increasingly, however, losses stem from operational interruptions that leave assets intact while disrupting trade.
Examples include vessel quarantines, cyberattacks, labour action, regulatory interventions and severe weather events that delay shipments without causing direct physical damage.
Communicable disease risks are now excluded from many commercial insurance policies, GIB divisional executive for agriculture and food Jonathan Lindeque said. This means businesses may be exposed when cargo is delayed but not physically damaged, as traditional marine cargo policies generally respond to physical loss or damage rather than operational interruption.
The issue extends beyond insurance, insurance specialists at GIB said. Delays can trigger disputes between shipowners, charterers, cargo owners and logistics providers over who should bear the financial cost of disruption.
“Where responsibilities are not clearly defined in contracts, businesses may find themselves responsible for losses they assumed would be covered elsewhere,” they said.
Many companies continue to underestimate their exposure to disruption-related losses, GIB divisional executive for bespoke and reinsurance Ryan Shepard said.
“Many businesses still assume this type of disruption is insured, when in reality much of that exposure now sits with them,” he said.
As global trade becomes increasingly interconnected, industry experts say businesses need to place greater emphasis on contingency planning, contractual clarity and supply-chain resilience.
According to the specialists, the MV Hondius incident shows how significant commercial disruption can arise even when no physical damage occurs, leaving businesses exposed to costs that may fall outside traditional insurance protection.