Three people have died and roughly 140 to 150 passengers and crew are being evacuated from the Dutch-flagged MV Hondius after the vessel anchored off Granadilla port, Tenerife, on May 10, 2026. The phased disembarkation began with Spanish nationals and is being carried out by small boats that ferry groups to a secured quay for health screening and onward charter flights arranged by national authorities. World Health Organization Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus and Spain's health and interior ministers were on site to oversee repatriation logistics and public-health safeguards. Authorities aim to complete evacuation flights between Sunday and Monday, with monitoring and quarantine on arrival.

Three fatalities and a multi-national evacuation have put a remote Canary Islands port at the center of an international public-health response. The MV Hondius, a Dutch-flagged expedition cruise ship, anchored off Granadilla port, Tenerife, on May 10 after leaving Cape Verde on May 6. The ship was not permitted to dock, and disembarkation took place under tight controls while health teams screened people as they came ashore.

Controlled disembarkation off Tenerife

Evacuation began with Spanish nationals, transported in small launch boats carrying five to 10 people at a time. Those boats ferried passengers and some crew to tents and guarded transfer points on the quay, where port staff and medical teams wearing hazmat suits and respirators screened arrivals and issued protective masks. Medical teams were reported on board to check passengers before disembarkation, and intensive care specialists were placed on standby at Candelaria hospital in Tenerife in case anyone became seriously ill.

Spain's Health Minister Mónica García described the operation as "proceeding normally," and World Health Organization Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus was present alongside Spain's health and interior ministers to coordinate repatriation logistics and public-health safeguards. Officials treated everyone on board as high-risk contacts and imposed a one-nautical-mile security perimeter around the vessel while national authorities organized onward travel for citizens.

The ship's operator, Oceanwide Expeditions BV, confirmed that "all guests and a limited number of crew members" were expected to leave the ship in phases. Disembarked individuals were being transferred directly to allocated aircraft, with national governments arranging charter flights to return their citizens home.

Mastheads

Unclear case tally and international repatriation

The outbreak produced multiple fatalities and a patchwork of case counts across reports, leaving an inconsistent public tally. Sources consistently reported three deaths among people who had been aboard the Hondius. However, reports diverged on the number of confirmed and suspected infections connected to the voyage. One account cited the World Health Organization as identifying eight medical cases linked to the cruise, described as five suspected and three laboratory-confirmed, including the three deaths. Another account said the WHO had confirmed six cases out of eight suspected.

A separate report said five passengers who had already left the ship tested positive.

Authorities and investigators have focused on the Andes strain of hantavirus as the likely cause, noting the strain can be transmitted from person to person. Officials suggested the outbreak may be linked to exposure in southern Argentina, including a landfill site frequented by rodents. Because of that transmission risk, health teams treated everyone on board as potentially exposed and implemented strict protections during transfers and screenings.

National governments coordinated repatriation. The Netherlands, Germany, Belgium and Ireland organized aircraft to bring citizens home, and some passengers destined for the United Kingdom, the United States and Australia were scheduled to move on dedicated flights. Authorities planned to have evacuation flights completed between Sunday and Monday, and national health teams were preparing quarantine monitoring on arrival for all evacuees.

Local officials in Tenerife said life in surrounding communities was largely continuing without disruption. Authorities and residents were told the immediate public risk remained low, while emergency teams concentrated on safely moving people from the vessel and routing them to quarantine and medical follow-up as required.

Investigators kept the security perimeter in place around the Hondius while teams continued to process disembarkations. Small-boat transfers, guarded transfer points, and direct handoffs to allocated aircraft aimed to limit any contact that could spread infection beyond the people who had been on the voyage.

Medical teams remained ready to escalate care. Candelaria hospital had intensive care specialists on standby to receive any evacuee who worsened after disembarking, and port medical units continued to screen and isolate symptomatic people before they boarded repatriation flights. Officials emphasized coordination among international health authorities, national governments and the ship operator to manage logistics and public-health measures.

Related Articles

Authorities expect evacuation flights to finish between Sunday and Monday, May 11, 2026; national health teams will quarantine and monitor evacuees on arrival.

This article was created with AI assistance.