The Dutch cruise ship Hondius, affected by the hantavirus, arrived at the port of Granadilla de Abona on the Spanish island of Tenerife early Sunday morning.
Passengers are being evacuated under the supervision of medical personnel and authorities. The evacuation commenced at sunrise after the ship anchored, according to Dutch Ambassador to Spain, Roel Nieuwenkamp. Spanish Health Minister Mónica García stated during a Saturday evening press conference that Spanish passengers would be disembarked first and transported to a military hospital in Madrid for quarantine.
Passengers of other nationalities are being removed from the ship by boat, tested, and arranged for repatriation flights as quickly as possible. Two Belgian passengers are scheduled to fly to Eindhoven on a charter flight organised by the Netherlands on Sunday. While they show no symptoms, they will undergo medical assessment at the Antwerp University Hospital.
The evacuation is being executed using small motorboats accommodating five people each, alongside larger vessels holding up to ten passengers. According to the cruise line, Oceanwide Expeditions, priorities for disembarkation are being coordinated with repatriation flight schedules. Passengers’ luggage will remain onboard the ship.
Some crew members will stay on the Hondius as it continues its journey to Rotterdam for cleaning, which is expected to take five days.
The Hondius departed from Ushuaia, Argentina, on 1 April with 114 passengers onboard, many of whom contracted the hantavirus during the cruise. The Andes variant of the virus, which affects passengers, can cause high fever, respiratory distress, and heart failure. It is lethal in nearly half of cases and is rarely transmitted between humans. Three passengers have died due to complications from the virus.
