Hantavirus-Afflicted Cruise Ship MV Hondius Nears Tenerife After First Passenger Death

Almost a month after the first passenger died of hantavirus aboard the MV Hondius cruise ship, the vessel is nearing Tenerife in the Canary Islands.

Authorities have made intensive preparations to receive the ship at Granadilla port and help more than 100 people disembark for repatriation.

The Hondius should reach the area before dawn Sunday, but a one-nautical-mile security perimeter will keep it from shore as it approaches. Once in port, it will anchor offshore to maintain isolation.

Spain's health minister, Mónica García, described the complex operation to contain the rare Andes strain as "unprecedented." It involves 23 countries and addresses concerns from locals, including Canary Islands President Ángel Víctor Torres, who said he "won't be calm" until all passengers and crew have left.

"The risk of contagion for the general population is low," García said Saturday. "We believe that alarmism, misinformation and confusion are contrary to the basic principles of preserving public health."

Security ramped up Saturday at the industrial port in southern Tenerife. Spain's military police and disaster response teams erected large reception tents, and waterfront access is restricted.

Around 07:00 local time (06:00 GMT) Sunday, after the ship is in position, medical teams will board to screen everyone for symptoms. No one else has shown signs, according to latest reports.

Passengers and crew will then split into nationality groups and transfer to shore by small boats. Charter planes from the UK, US and several EU states await at the airport. Medically equipped aircraft stand ready if isolation is needed.

Spanish nationals will fly to Madrid for mandatory quarantine at Gomez Ulla military hospital. The virus's incubation period reaches nine weeks, and quarantine durations remain unclear.

World Health Organization head Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, in Tenerife to oversee disembarkation, praised authorities for a "solid and effective response." The outbreak ties to a landfill in southern Argentina frequented by birdwatchers, where rodents carry the virus. Person-to-person transmission is rare, though three passengers have died.

Tedros urged Spaniards to trust the evacuation team. "Your concern is legitimate, because of the experience of Covid: that trauma is still in our minds," he said. But the risk of wider spread is low "because of how the virus works, and because of how the Spanish government has prepared to avoid any problem."

Dozens of intensive care specialists wait at Tenerife's Candelaria hospital should anyone from the ship fall seriously ill during transfer. The facility has one fully equipped isolation bed with testing kit and ventilator.

"We are absolutely ready," chief intensive care doctor Mar Martin said on the unit, where protective suits, masks and gloves are stacked for staff. "We've never seen [hantavirus] before – but it's a virus, with some complications, just like we manage every day. We are fully trained for that."

Locals expressed anger when they learned the ship was heading to Tenerife. Port workers protested Friday outside the regional parliament, doubting safety measures.

Clarity has since brought calm. "The virus is dangerous, of course. But they say you need to have very close contact to get it," Jennifer said while walking with her child in Santa Cruz, Tenerife's capital. "If we're careful, we hope it's not too serious."

Some grumbled that Madrid chose their island for political reasons and recalled early Covid reassurances that proved false.

Quarantine now stretches ahead for weeks.