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The cruise ship linked to the deadly hantavirus outbreak arrived off the Spanish island of Tenerife early Sunday, where the evacuation of passengers is expected to begin.
According to Reuters, Spanish officials said the passengers would be tested by Spanish health authorities to ensure they have no symptoms before being taken ashore in small boats.
The evacuation is expected to begin between 7:30 a.m. and 8:30 a.m. local time, with Spanish citizens disembarking first, followed by passengers of other nationalities, Reuters reports.
They are then expected to be flown to the island’s main airport and flown back to their home countries. Several Americans are believed to be aboard the MV Hondius.
Americans to be evacuated from hantavirus cruise ship due to global health chief’s visit to quarantine island
The cruise ship MV Hondius arrives at the port of Granadilla de Abona after being hit by the hantavirus outbreak in Tenerife, Spain, May 10, 2026. (Reuters/Hannah Mackey)
Fox News Digital previously reported that the US government is planning to transfer American travelers to a military base in Nebraska for quarantine and monitoring.
The ship departed the coast of Cape Verde for Spain on Wednesday after WHO and the European Union requested assistance in managing the outbreak.
The ship’s arrival comes hours after World Health Organization Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus arrived on the island.
WHO said Friday that eight people aboard the ship had fallen ill, three of whom died. Six cases have been confirmed, two others are suspected.
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A cruise ship linked to a hantavirus outbreak remains anchored off the Spanish island of Tenerife ahead of a planned evacuation. (Reuters/Hannah Mackey)
In a statement on Saturday, Ghebreyesus said the public health risk remained low.
He said, “I know you are worried. I know that when you hear the word ‘outbreak’ and see a ship heading toward your shores, memories come to the surface that none of us have ever fully quelled.”
He added, “The pain of 2020 is still real, and I don’t dismiss it for a moment. But I want you to hear me clearly: This is not another COVID-19. The current public health risk from hantavirus is low. My colleagues and I have said it clearly, and I will say it to you again now.”
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A police boat sails next to the cruise ship MV Hondius at the port of Granadilla de Abona after it was hit by the hantavirus outbreak in Tenerife, Spain, on May 10, 2026. (Reuters/Hannah Mackey)
Ghebreyesus said the virus identified on the ship is the Andes strain of hantavirus, which can be serious.
“Three people have lost their lives and our thoughts are with their families,” he wrote. He reiterated that the public health risk posed by the virus is low.
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An ambulance transports patients from the MV Hondius cruise ship to the airport in Praia, Cape Verde, on May 6, 2026. (Mispar Apavu/AP)
About 30 crew members are expected to remain on board as the ship heads to the Netherlands, where it will be disinfected.
Robert McGreevy of Fox News Digital and Reuters contributed to this report.
