Passengers from the MV Hondius, the cruise ship at the centre of a deadly hantavirus outbreak, have begun disembarking in Tenerife under a tightly controlled international health operation.
The Dutch-flagged expedition vessel arrived off Spain’s Canary Islands on Sunday, with more than 140 passengers and crew on board. Spanish authorities said those leaving the ship would be transferred through a controlled route involving boats, buses and specially arranged aircraft to return them to their home countries.
Officials said the operation was designed to prevent contact with the local population. Passengers without symptoms are being repatriated on dedicated transport rather than regular commercial flights, in line with guidance from the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control. The agency has classified all passengers as high-risk contacts as a precaution, though their status may be reassessed once they return home.
Spanish health officials, the World Health Organization and cruise operator Oceanwide Expeditions said none of the people still on board was showing symptoms at the time of arrival. However, three people linked to the outbreak have died, and confirmed infections have been reported among passengers who had already left the ship.
The outbreak involves the Andes strain of hantavirus, a rare form that can spread between people in limited circumstances, usually through prolonged close contact. Most hantaviruses are transmitted through exposure to infected rodents’ urine, droppings or saliva. Health officials have stressed that the outbreak is not comparable to Covid-19 because the virus does not spread as easily through casual contact.
The MV Hondius had been on an expedition cruise that began in South America before concern grew over infections among passengers. Several countries have been working to trace people who disembarked earlier, including those who left the vessel on Saint Helena on April 24.
The evacuation in Tenerife involves coordination between Spanish authorities, the WHO, the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control and the governments of affected passengers. Some countries are expected to place returning travellers in quarantine or monitored isolation after arrival.
For Tenerife, officials have sought to reassure residents that the docking is a controlled medical and repatriation operation, not a wider public health threat. The priority now is to complete the evacuation safely, monitor exposed passengers and continue tracing anyone who may have had close contact with confirmed cases.
