Spanish authorities have developed comprehensive evacuation procedures for a luxury cruise vessel that will dock Sunday after experiencing a deadly hantavirus outbreak during its voyage.
The MV Hondius, carrying 149 individuals representing 23 different nations, is scheduled to reach Tenerife in Spain’s Canary Islands around midday Sunday (1000 GMT), according to Spanish government officials.
The viral outbreak has resulted in three fatalities, with four additional confirmed infections and three more suspected cases under investigation. However, cruise operator Oceanwide Expeditions reported Thursday that no remaining passengers are currently showing signs of illness.
Rather than docking directly at port, the vessel will anchor offshore while passengers and crew are transported to land using smaller watercraft. This approach was requested by local island officials, though Spain’s central government emphasized that standard docking procedures would not have posed public health dangers.
The World Health Organization has assessed the broader public risk from this viral outbreak as minimal.
The cruise began its journey April 1 from Argentina, carrying 88 passengers and 61 crew members, including one deceased German citizen still aboard the ship.
Upon reaching Granadilla port in southern Tenerife, evacuees will be transported to the island’s primary airport approximately 10 minutes away, Spain’s civil protection and emergencies director Virginia Barcones explained to state broadcaster TVE Friday.
“They will likely be transferred to the airport on sealed-off buses whose drivers and emergency crew will be clad in protective gear,” Barcones stated. The specialized transport vehicles will deliver passengers directly to airport runways where they will board designated aircraft.
Multiple countries have committed to sending charter aircraft to retrieve their citizens. The United States and Britain have already confirmed flight arrangements, Barcones noted.
For nations unable to organize their own evacuation flights, officials indicated passengers could potentially travel on aircraft dispatched by other countries. Final coordination will involve the European Commission and the Netherlands, which serves as the ship’s flag nation.
Passenger distribution by nationality shows the Philippines with 38 people, Britain with 23, the United States with 17, Spain with 14, and the Netherlands with 13, according to Oceanwide data.
While authorities plan rapid departure for all evacuated individuals, local officials are establishing an isolated medical facility at a nearby hospital as a precautionary measure, confirmed by regional government and union representatives.
Spanish citizens aboard the vessel will be flown to a military medical facility in Madrid.
Regarding the three virus-related deaths, one victim remains on the ship. Dutch authorities will manage the evacuation of the deceased German passenger following established maritime and health protocols, Barcones confirmed.
The MV Hondius must continue to the Netherlands due to flag state requirements, explained Spain’s health secretary Javier Padilla, though he did not specify departure timing.
Canary Islands officials emphasized minimizing the ship’s presence in the archipelago, which is home to approximately one million residents in Tenerife alone.
Padilla noted that ship disinfection procedures while anchored near Tenerife remain under consideration. “It will be done in the moment and place considered most adequate. What we can guarantee is that it will be done without any (health) risks,” he stated.
Whether all crew members will depart the MV Hondius remains unclear, with Padilla indicating the vessel would eventually leave Spanish waters with the “necessary (number of) crew members” aboard.
