Spain Evacuates Passengers from Hantavirus Cruise Ship

Spain has begun evacuating passengers from the MS Hondius cruise ship, anchored near Tenerife, after a hantavirus outbreak. Health Minister Mónica García said the operation is “proceeding normally,” with all passengers still asymptomatic.

The evacuation involves dividing passengers by nationality and ferrying them to shore in small boats. Charter planes are ready at Tenerife’s airport to repatriate them. Fourteen Spanish nationals will leave first, followed by Dutch, Greek, and German passengers. Other flights will head to the UK, US, and Australia, with the last scheduled for Monday.

The Hondius arrived at Granadilla port before dawn on Sunday, a month after the first passenger died. Military police boats enforced a one mile security perimeter as medical teams boarded to check passengers. Over 100 people are expected to disembark.

Dozens of intensive care specialists are on standby at Candelaria Hospital, with strict isolation facilities prepared. Dr. Mar Martin, chief intensive care doctor, said staff are trained and ready, despite never having treated hantavirus before.

Authorities stress the risk of contagion to the public is low. The virus, linked to rodents at a landfill in Argentina, rarely spreads between people. Three passengers have died since the outbreak began.

WHO Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, in Tenerife to oversee the operation, praised Spain’s “solid and effective response.” He urged residents to trust the measures, noting that memories of Covid make concerns understandable but insisting the risk is contained.

Security has been tight at the port, with military police and disaster teams setting up reception tents. Spanish nationals will undergo mandatory quarantine in Madrid’s Gomez Ulla military hospital, with isolation lasting weeks due to the virus’s long incubation period.

Not all crew will disembark; about 30 will remain on board to sail the ship back to the Netherlands. For most passengers, however, the evacuation marks the end of weeks of fear and uncertainty at sea.

Local residents in Tenerife have expressed mixed feelings about the ship’s arrival. While some remain anxious about potential risks, many say they are reassured by the strong security measures and the government’s insistence that the chances of wider contagion are very low.