Tenerife Dock Workers Protest Hantavirus Cruise Ship Arrival

As the MV Hondius cruise ship nears Tenerife, residents of the Spanish island express uncertainty and anger over its arrival.

The Spanish government, in agreement with the World Health Organization, has approved disembarkation of the ship's passengers this weekend. The vessel, which experienced a hantavirus outbreak, sailed from Cape Verde, where three people were evacuated for illness.

On Friday, Tenerife dock workers rallied outside the Canary Islands' parliament in Santa Cruz to highlight health risks from the ship's impending arrival. They blew whistles, sounded vuvuzelas and held up banners.

"We're unhappy at the idea of being allowed to work in a port without special safety measures or information when an infected boat is approaching," said Joana Batista of a local port workers' union.

Some colleagues have threatened to block the ship if demands go unmet. "If the boat is going to stop here, then it can do so, but with the necessary measures in place," she said. "Local people need to be told how this will affect them, how the passengers will be transported. We need reassurance above all."

Nutritionist María de la Luz Sedeño watched the protest nearby and shared the demonstrators' demands. She struggled to hide her anger. "This is the last straw when it comes to everything the people of the Canary Islands have to put up with," she said, referring to the ongoing arrival of thousands of undocumented migrants in boats from North and West Africa.

For some Canary Islanders, aiding migrants brings pride. For others like Sedeño, it breeds frustration. Most agree migration turns their territory into the center of an international crisis.

NGO Caminando Fronteras reports more than 3,000 people died in 2025 attempting to reach the Canary Islands in makeshift dinghies. Pope Leo plans a June visit to meet migrants and aid organizations.

Sedeño pointed to the central government's dismissal of opposition from Canary Islands President Fernando Clavijo. "The people here are not being listened to."

The Socialist-led central government countered claims of overreach and secrecy by releasing details of the ship's arrival. It will anchor offshore rather than dock in Tenerife. Passengers will transfer by ferry to Granadilla's industrial port in the island's southeast, distant from homes. Most face prompt repatriation; the 14 Spaniards aboard head to Madrid for quarantine.

Authorities promise no contact between passengers and locals. "[They] will be absolutely and completely protected," said Virginia Barcones, head of Spain's civil protection agency.

The details have eased concerns for some. "Now I'm a bit calmer because there's more information," said pensioner Marialaina Retina Fernández. She called local healthcare "the best there is" and accepted sharing the island briefly with the passengers.

"It's not ideal that they all end up coming here," she said. "But if [the authorities] say they'll do everything possible to make sure nobody gets infected, let's hope that's how it is."

Madrid approved the MV Hondius stop, but far-right Vox party links it to illegal migrant arrivals.

The WHO and Spanish government reject parallels to the Covid pandemic. Still, many islanders recall early Covid days: a German tourist marked Spain's first case on La Gomera, followed by confinement of about 1,000 guests and staff in a Tenerife hotel.