The Dutch-flagged MV Hondius reached waters near the Port of Granadilla early on Sunday, escorted by a Spanish Civil Guard vessel, according to maritime tracking data. The ship had departed from Cape Verde on Wednesday after the World Health Organisation (WHO) and the European Union requested Spain take charge of managing the evacuation.
Health authorities confirmed the outbreak has so far been linked to at least eight illnesses on board, including three deaths, a Dutch couple and a German national. Six cases have been confirmed as hantavirus infections, with two additional suspected cases under investigation, according to the WHO.
Hantavirus is typically transmitted through contact with infected rodents or their droppings, though rare person-to-person transmission has been reported in limited circumstances. European public health officials have classified all passengers as high-risk contacts as a precaution.
Spanish authorities said medical teams boarded the vessel on Sunday morning to test passengers and crew before disembarkation begins. Evacuations are expected to start between 7:30am and 8:30am local time, with Spanish nationals leaving first, followed by other nationalities in staged groups.
Passengers will be transferred from the ship in small boats to shore, where sealed buses will take them to Tenerife’s main airport, roughly 10 minutes away. From there, they will board flights arranged by their respective governments.
Several countries, including the United States, Germany, France, Belgium, Ireland, and the Netherlands, are sending aircraft for repatriation. The ship’s 147 passengers will undergo further medical monitoring upon return, with some facing quarantine or extended observation periods depending on national protocols.
In Spain, fourteen nationals will be transported to a military hospital for isolation and testing, while 17 American passengers will be taken to the University of Nebraska Medical Center’s National Quarantine Unit. Two Dutch passengers will be among the second group to disembark.
WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus travelled to Tenerife to coordinate the response alongside Spanish ministers. In an open letter, he reassured residents, stressing: “This is not another Covid,” while officials emphasised that the risk to the wider public remains low.
Despite the scale of the operation, daily life in Granadilla appeared largely unaffected on Sunday morning, with residents continuing routine activities as emergency teams prepared nearby.
After evacuation, the MV Hondius is expected to sail to Rotterdam, where it will undergo full disinfection. Meanwhile, health authorities across multiple countries continue tracing potential contacts linked to passengers who had already disembarked during the voyage, which began in Argentina in early April.
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