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VIDEO: Hantavirus cruise ship begins disembarking passengers in Spain
All those who have got off the ship have been transferred to hospitals in their home countries for monitoring
La Guardia Civil ha participado en el traslado de los ocupantes del MV HONDIUS desde el puerto de Granadilla de Abona hasta el aeropuerto de Tenerife Sur. En el dispositivo han trabajado más de 300 efectivos, incluyendo medios aéreos, varias embarcaciones del servicio marítimo,… pic.twitter.com/JNIUvWssel
— Guardia Civil (@guardiacivil) May 10, 2026
The cruise ship MV Hondius arrived this Sunday morning, May 10, at the Port of Granadilla in the Canary Islands, Spain, after an outbreak of hantavirus was detected on board.
The Spanish authorities launched a major health and logistics operation to coordinate the disembarkation of the passengers, which involved immediately repatriating all the passengers to their home countries.
The Canary Islands was already listed as a destination for the cruise before the outbreak, and was also chosen as the safest and closest place for the ship to head to that was best equipped to deal with the complex process of dealing with the infected crew and passengers.
Hantavirus is a respiratory illness that is often caused by contact with the bodily fluids of rodents. The strain of the disease on board the Hondius, which was sailing from Argentina, is the Andes variant, the only known strain capable of spreading between humans through very close and prolonged contact.
Three people died on board the Hondius from hantavirus, including a 69-year-old Dutch woman, her husband and a German woman.
Health authorities around the world are desperately tracking anyone who may have got off the ship before the contagion became widely known, and those with whom they may have come into contact, in order to trace and isolate any potentially infected people.
Hondius disembarkation process
Continuamos durante la tarde con el desembarque de los pasajeros de MV #HONDIUS. Los agentes especialistas NRBQ los reciben a su llegada al Puerto de Granadilla de Abona, para su escolta en el convoy hasta el aeropuerto Tenerife Sur. pic.twitter.com/0oMI8H8NFv
— Guardia Civil (@guardiacivil) May 10, 2026
According to the Tenerife Port Authority, the operation is going well so far, with nearly 100 people disembarked so far by Monday morning, in nationality groups.
The 14 Spaniards on board were the first to get off, and they were transferred by plane to Madrid just after midday, at 12.56pm, for assessment. The passengers travelled wearing personal protective equipment and landed at Torrejón de Ardoz Air Base at around 3pm.
They were subsequently transferred to the Gómez Ulla Central Defence Hospital, where they were admitted at around 4.30pm via a closed circuit reserved for infectious disease specialists.
A health protocol was activated at the hospital, including clinical analyses, PCR tests, epidemiological tests and continuous medical monitoring to detect any possible symptoms.
Two women in Spain – one in Alicante and one in Barcelona – who had been in contact with someone who died from hantavirus have tested negative for the virus.
Seventeen US citizens were on the ship, one of whom has since proved positive for hantavirus.
Meanwhile, five French nationals – one of them showing symptoms of infection – were flown to Le Bourget airport, near Paris, and were taken individually to the Bichat-Claude Bernard Hospital.
The French health authorities consider them to be ‘high-risk’ contacts according to World Health Organization (WHO) criteria, so they will remain in quarantine for 72 hours and under health surveillance for 45 days.
The UK Embassy in Spain also released a statement, saying, “Today, 20 British nationals have safely departed for the United Kingdom from the MV Hondius, following strict public health protocols and in close coordination with the Spanish authorities and the World Health Organization.”
They also expressed their “sincere gratitude to the Spanish Government for their solidarity, professionalism and excellent coordination.”
WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said late on Sunday at a press conference in Tenerife that the recommendation to all countries is that passengers should undergo a 42-day quarantine, which “can be in a facility or at home”.
In addition, a 62-year-old Spanish Guardia Civil police officer died on Sunday afternoon at the port in Tenerife after suffering a heart attack whilst assisting with the disembarkation of passengers from the cruise ship MV Hondius. His death is not being linked to hantavirus.
Hantavirus is a much more deadly disease than Covid-19, but at the same time it is much less contagious. Health authorities assure that the localised outbreaks in the last week are all under control and closely monitored, and that this will likely not lead to another global pandemic.
Image: Guardia Civil
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