MV Hondius leaves Tenerife after all passengers are evacuated
The cruise ship MV Hondius has departed from the port of Granadilla de Abona in the south of Tenerife, after all passengers and part of the crew were safely disembarked and repatriated on private government flights back to their own countries.
The most famous cruise ship in the world set sail shortly after 7:00pm this evening, Monday, leaving Tenerife as scheduled. By 7:10pm, it had cleared the harbour and begun its journey to Rotterdam, where it will undergo full disinfection following the hantavirus outbreak onboard.
The ship is expected to arrive in the Netherlands in approximately five days, subject to weather conditions. Authorities there will also take custody of the body of a deceased passenger that remains onboard.
Refuelling before departure
Earlier this morning, the vessel refuelled and took on supplies while temporarily docking in the industrial port of Granadilla due to strong winds, marking the final stage of a complex international health operation.
The MV Hondius had been authorised to anchor in Tenerife in the early hours of 10th May after being denied entry elsewhere. The decision followed a request from the World Health Organisation for Spain to assist in managing the outbreak situation at sea, because Tenerife was the closest European port with sufficient medical facilities.
From polar expedition to health emergency
The cruise began on 20th March in Ushuaia as a 46-day polar expedition bound for the Canary Islands, carrying 149 passengers of 23 nationalities.
On 11th April, a 70-year-old Dutch passenger who had developed a fever days earlier died onboard. His body was disembarked in Saint Helena, while his wife was transferred to Johannesburg, where she later died from hantavirus on 26th April.
Around 30 passengers also left the vessel in Saint Helena.
On 27th April, a British passenger became seriously ill and tests confirmed hantavirus infection. A third passenger died on 2nd May, with their body remaining onboard. That same day, the WHO was formally alerted to the outbreak.
Health authorities later confirmed that all three deaths were linked to the Andes strain of hantavirus.
Denied entry before Tenerife docking
On 3rd May, the MV Hondius arrived off Praia but was refused permission to dock for safety reasons. Following that refusal, the WHO requested Spain’s assistance.
Despite initial opposition from the Canary Islands Government, Spain’s central government authorised the ship to enter the industrial port of Granadilla, where a coordinated disembarkation operation was carried out over the weekend.
With passengers now repatriated and the vessel en route to Rotterdam for deep cleaning, the chapter closes on an extraordinary maritime health emergency that has drawn international attention, and the Granadilla Port will be fully disinfected before returning to normal.
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