MV Hondius hantavirus outbreak: Cruise ship docks off Tenerife as passengers prepare for repatriation
The MV Hondius hantavirus outbreak prompted Spanish authorities to anchor the expedition vessel off Tenerife, as 147 crew and passengers prepare for repatriation and WHO monitoring.
Ship Arrives in Tenerife
The MV Hondius, which has been at sea for more than a month, anchored off Granadilla de Abona in Tenerife in the early hours of Sunday, Spanish health officials said. The ship will remain offshore near an industrial port with no nearby population while authorities manage a controlled disembarkation.
Spanish officials said passengers will be transferred to shore in small boats and taken to an airport for return to their home countries, while the vessel itself is scheduled to sail to the Netherlands for professional disinfection after all people have left the ship.
Confirmed Cases and Deaths
Since April 11, three people who were aboard the vessel have died and five others developed symptoms consistent with hantavirus infection, according to World Health Organization updates. The W.H.O. has confirmed infections in six people, including a Dutch woman who later died in South Africa, two British nationals and a man hospitalized in Switzerland.
Health ministers and the cruise operator Oceanwide Expeditions have stressed that the majority of those arriving in Tenerife—147 crew and passengers—were asymptomatic at the time of docking. Officials also reported that the body of one deceased passenger remains on board pending further arrangements.
Passenger Handling and Repatriation Plan
Spanish authorities outlined a phased plan to move people from ship to shore, emphasizing minimised contact and medical oversight. Four medical staff who boarded while the Hondius was anchored off Cape Verde have been assisting a health assessment and determining exposure levels for every passenger and crew member.
Passengers classified as symptomatic will be flown separately to the Netherlands for treatment, while others will be repatriated to their home countries under coordination between Spain, the Netherlands and affected nations. Officials have said logistics will be handled through airport transfers and direct flights arranged by national authorities.
International Contact Tracing Effort
A broad international tracing operation is underway after the Hondius sailed from Argentina in early April and called at islands in the South Atlantic. Health agencies in Canada, Denmark, France, Singapore, South Africa, Switzerland, Turkey, the United States and other countries have been notified and are following up on possible exposures.
Maria Van Kerkhove of the W.H.O. said multiple countries are working together to return passengers and to monitor contacts, adding that health workers on board classified everyone as high-risk contacts. National authorities are using passenger manifests and flight records to reach people who were on the voyage or who had contact with those who later fell ill.
WHO Assessment and Health Guidance
World Health Organization officials have advised that the public health risk to the general population remains low, while urging active monitoring of all disembarked passengers and crew for a 42-day period. The W.H.O. noted that the strain detected in patients linked to the ship is the Andes strain of hantavirus, the only known hantavirus strain with documented human-to-human transmission.
W.H.O. Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus sought to calm public concern, noting that memories of COVID-19 can fuel anxiety but stressing the current situation is different. The W.H.O. recommended intensive follow-up and isolation for symptomatic individuals and asserted that health teams have assessed exposure levels for everyone on board.
Vessel Disinfection and Ongoing Investigation
Spain’s interior minister, Fernando Grande-Marlaska, said the Hondius will sail to the Netherlands for professional decontamination once all passengers and crew have disembarked. Oceanwide Expeditions confirmed its cooperation with authorities and noted that medical staff who boarded earlier will continue to assist with assessment and documentation.
Authorities indicated that separate inquiries will examine the origin of the outbreak, including whether initial exposure occurred prior to embarkation in Argentina or during subsequent port calls. National public health agencies and international partners are expected to share laboratory results and epidemiological data as the investigation continues.
The MV Hondius hantavirus outbreak has prompted heightened surveillance and coordinated cross-border public health action, with Spain and international partners focusing on safe repatriation, clinical care for the ill, and an extended monitoring period for those who disembark.