The Dutch-flagged expedition vessel MV Hondius, which had been quarantined at sea all week after a deadly strain of hantavirus claimed three lives and infected others onboard, arrived at the port of Granadilla de Abona in Tenerife, in Spain’s Canary Islands, and began a phased disembarkation of remaining passengers and crew early Sunday morning.
The process, coordinated by Spanish authorities with support from the World Health Organization (WHO) and national health agencies, involves medical screening, small-boat transfers to shore in groups limited by nationality, and immediate onward transport via chartered flights to home countries. Passengers are required to leave most luggage aboard for later disinfection and handling, with only essential items cleared for removal at this time.
No individuals currently aboard are reported to be showing symptoms at this time, according to a report from CNN.
Spanish nationals were the first group to depart, transferring to a military hospital in Madrid for further evaluation and monitoring. Other groups, including Dutch, French, German, Irish, and additional nationals, followed with dedicated repatriation flights arranged by their governments.
Seventeen American passengers were scheduled for a U.S. government medical repatriation flight to the National Quarantine Unit at the University of Nebraska Medical Center in Omaha, followed by home monitoring.
Approximately 30 crew members are expected to remain aboard to sail the vessel onward to Rotterdam for thorough cleaning after full disembarkation. The operation proceeded smoothly, with authorities maintaining separation from the local population throughout.
The latest developments come after MV Hondius had departed Ushuaia, Argentina, on 1 April with roughly 147 passengers and crew from more than 20 countries for a South Atlantic and Antarctic expedition. The average passenger age was around 65.
The outbreak involved the Andes virus strain of hantavirus, which is endemic in parts of South America. This strain is the only hantavirus with documented, though limited, person-to-person transmission in cases of close and prolonged contact, according to the World Health Organization.
The index case is believed to have acquired the infection through environmental exposure to rodents, likely before boarding during travel or activities in affected regions of Argentina, Chile, or Uruguay. Symptoms in the first individual began around 6 April, with death occurring on board on 11 April. A close contact later became ill and died after medical evacuation.
As of May 8, authorities reported eight cases in total, six of which were laboratory-confirmed through PCR and genetic sequencing, and two probable. Three deaths occurred overall, giving a case fatality ratio of approximately 38 percent.
Four patients had been hospitalized in South Africa, the Netherlands, and Switzerland prior to the final disembarkation. Before the cluster was fully identified, about 34 passengers and crew had left the ship at earlier ports, including Tristan da Cunha and St. Helena in mid-to-late April.
Some symptomatic individuals were medically evacuated at intermediate stops such as Ascension Island. International contact tracing, coordinated under International Health Regulations, has been underway for these earlier disembarkers and their contacts across several countries.
No secondary cases have been identified among those groups to date.
