A cruise vessel at the centre of a hantavirus outbreak has arrived at the Spanish island of Tenerife, where coordinated evacuation efforts are underway for its 147 passengers.
The ship, identified as the MV Hondius, anchored at the Port of Granadilla in the Canary Islands early Sunday morning, with emergency boats and medical teams stationed nearby to manage disembarkation.
According to reports, passengers and crew will undergo medical screening before being flown back to their respective countries in a carefully coordinated international operation.
Spain’s Health Minister Mónica García confirmed that medical teams boarded the vessel shortly after arrival to assess those on board.
“Medical teams boarded the ship to run tests on passengers and crew,” García said, adding that passengers would only disembark after initial evaluations.
The outbreak has already been linked to three deaths since the ship departed Argentina last month, while several others were evacuated earlier for treatment after suspected exposure to hantavirus, a rare disease usually transmitted through contact with infected rodents.
Authorities said passengers would be evacuated in stages based on nationality, with strict safety protocols in place. Small boats carrying no more than ten people will transport passengers to shore.
“The sequence of disembarkation will be coordinated with arriving repatriation flights,” the tour operator Oceanwide Expeditions said, noting that luggage would remain on board and be returned later.
The United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention confirmed that 17 American passengers on board, none showing symptoms, will be taken to the University of Nebraska Medical Center for monitoring.
A US health official explained that after initial evaluation, the passengers will undergo home-based monitoring for 42 days.
In Spain, authorities said 14 citizens will be the first to disembark, wearing protective masks and transported under strict medical supervision to a military hospital for isolation and testing.
“The passengers will be taken to a military hospital, where they will stay in individual rooms with no visitors allowed,” Spain’s health ministry stated.
Dutch passengers are expected to follow in the next phase of evacuation, according to officials.
The situation has sparked concern in the Canary Islands, where local leaders and port workers expressed unease over the handling of the ship’s arrival and communication about safety risks.
Despite tensions, health authorities and the World Health Organization maintain that the outbreak poses a low risk to the general public.
The vessel is expected to later continue to Rotterdam, where the remaining crew members will disembark, and the ship will undergo full disinfection procedures.
