MV Hondius evacuation ends as hantavirus monitoring continues

TENERIFE — 12 May 2026, All passengers and crew aboard the cruise ship MV Hondius have now been evacuated following an outbreak of hantavirus that left three people dead and several others infected, while health authorities continue monitoring passengers who have begun showing symptoms after returning home.

The final group of six passengers, along with some crew members, disembarked off the coast of Tenerife, Spain, on 11 May, marking the end of a complex international evacuation operation. The group included four Australians, one British resident of Australia and one New Zealander, who were later transferred to the Netherlands for quarantine.

Governments including Spain, France, Canada, Britain and the United States arranged charter flights to repatriate citizens after the outbreak aboard the vessel. In total, 94 passengers and crew members were returned to their home countries following the ship’s 41-day voyage from southern Argentina. The final evacuation flight departed Tenerife around midday on 11 May local time.

The Dutch Foreign Ministry said 19 crew members and three doctors who remained on board to care for passengers had already arrived in the Netherlands. The MV Hondius, carrying the remaining 26 crew members, is now heading to the Netherlands for disinfection.

The first positive hantavirus test aboard the vessel was reported nine days ago. The World Health Organization (WHO) has advised all passengers to quarantine for 42 days from 10 May because the virus can incubate for up to six weeks. However, quarantine measures vary between countries.

Spanish passengers are required to remain in hospital quarantine for 42 days. French passengers must stay under hospital observation for 72 hours before continuing isolation at home for a further 45 days. American passengers may choose between home quarantine or isolation at a facility in Nebraska.

Maria Van Kerkhove, WHO director for epidemic and pandemic preparedness and prevention, said passengers should undergo daily health monitoring either at home or in designated quarantine facilities, depending on national guidelines.

WHO said seven confirmed cases of Andes hantavirus have been identified, along with two additional suspected cases. One suspected patient died before testing could be carried out, while the other is on Tristan da Cunha, a remote island in the South Atlantic without local testing facilities.

The death toll remains at three, including two Dutch passengers and one German passenger. Two of the deaths have been confirmed as hantavirus infections. WHO believes the first fatal case may have contracted the virus before boarding the ship while travelling in Argentina and Chile.

US health authorities said on 10 May that one American passenger among 17 evacuees tested positive for hantavirus, although the result remained inconclusive, while another passenger had begun showing symptoms. French Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu also said one French passenger developed symptoms during the return flight home.

Hantavirus is primarily spread through contact with rodent excretions, although limited human-to-human transmission can occur through close contact in rare cases. The Andes strain detected aboard the ship can cause severe respiratory illness and carries mortality rates of up to 50% in some cases.

Health officials stressed that the public should not panic, saying hantavirus spreads far less easily than COVID-19 and is unlikely to trigger a global outbreak.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​