Canary Islands on Alert as Virus-Hit Cruise Ship Nears Tenerife

TENERIFE – Health authorities in the Canary Islands are on high alert as the cruise ship MV Hondius is expected to drop anchor off the coast of Tenerife at dawn this Sunday. The vessel, currently the site of a deadly outbreak of the rare Andes hantavirus, is carrying nearly 150 passengers and crew who are slated for a high-stakes, coordinated international evacuation.

​The Dutch-flagged ship has been at the center of a mounting health crisis after eight cases were confirmed or suspected, resulting in three fatalities: a Dutch couple and a German woman. The outbreak was identified as the Andes strain, a particularly concerning variant of hantavirus known for its ability to transmit between humans through close contact—unlike most other strains typically spread only by rodents.

​World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus arrived in Spain on Saturday to personally oversee the operation. In an open letter to the residents of Tenerife, Tedros sought to quell local anxieties, emphasizing that the situation is being managed under the strictest protocols.

​”I need you to hear me clearly: this is not another COVID-19,” Tedros wrote, acknowledging the “solidarity” of the local population. “The public health risk to the general community remains low.”

​The evacuation plan is a massive logistical undertaking involving multiple governments. According to Spanish health officials, passengers will be offloaded in small, nationality-based groups. They will be transferred directly from the port to waiting aircraft via isolated and guarded vehicles to prevent any local contact.

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​The United States has arranged a repatriation flight to Nebraska for its 17 citizens on board, where they will undergo quarantine at a specialized facility in Omaha. Similarly, the United Kingdom and Spain have chartered military and private jets to transport their nationals into immediate hospital isolation in their respective home countries.

​The MV Hondius was traveling from Ushuaia, Argentina, to Cape Verde when the first signs of respiratory distress were reported in April. Since then, the ship has become a floating laboratory for infectious disease experts racing to contain the spread.

​While some port worker unions in Tenerife have expressed concern, threatening a blockade of the facility, health officials insist that the “sterile corridor” created for the evacuation ensures no risk to the island. Specialists are expected to board the ship between 4:00 AM and 6:00 AM Sunday to conduct final health screenings before the first group of passengers—14 Spanish nationals—is permitted to disembark.