10.05.2026 01:18
The passenger ship "MV Hondius," where Hantavirus cases that alarmed the world were reported, is about to arrive in Tenerife. The Spanish government will evacuate approximately 150 passengers on board through a complex and delicate operation, without any contact with civilians. Some countries have also sent special planes to pick up their own citizens.
The Spanish government, which allowed the Dutch-flagged passenger ship "MV Hondius," where hantavirus cases were detected, to anchor at the port of Tenerife in the Canary Islands, will evacuate the passengers on board using military units and by placing the area under quarantine.
ALL PREPARATIONS COMPLETE
The Spanish government has completed all preparations for the evacuation of nearly 150 passengers from 23 nationalities on the "MV Hondius," which is expected to arrive at the port of Granadilla de Abona in Tenerife between 04:00 and 06:00 local time (06:00-08:00 Turkish Time) tomorrow.
Interior Minister Fernando Grande Marlaska, Health Minister Monica Garcia, and World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus have arrived on the island of Tenerife to closely coordinate the evacuation of passengers on the ship.
EACH TRANSFER WILL TAKE APPROXIMATELY 10 MINUTES
In information provided to the press by the ministries of interior and health, it was reported that the ship will anchor at the port entrance to ensure the virus poses no risk to the civilian population in Tenerife, and passengers will be transferred from the ship to the port via boats organized by country, and from there to Tenerife airport by bus.
It was stated that before the evacuation process, which will be carried out under the control of soldiers from the Military Emergency Unit (UCM), all passengers and crew will undergo a health check inside the ship.
The government shared that to ensure the transfer from the port to the airport is as fast and safe as possible, passengers will not leave the ship until their planes are ready, each transfer will take approximately 10 minutes, and if any country does not send a plane to bring back its passengers, two European Union rescue aircraft will undertake their transfer.
ALL PASSENGERS WILL BE SENT TO THEIR COUNTRIES
It was noted that the first to disembark will be 14 Spanish passengers who will be sent to the Gomez Ulla military hospital in Madrid and placed in quarantine; all passengers will be sent to their countries; all personnel involved in the transfer will wear FFP2 type face masks; and passenger luggage will be placed in bags.
It was also stated that a no-go zone with a radius of one nautical mile has been imposed around the ship, and the port area will be placed under complete quarantine.
THERE WILL BE NO CONTACT WITH THE CIVILIAN POPULATION
Interior Minister Marlaska stated, "The passengers and crew of the Hondius ship will only be able to communicate with the professionals working in the evacuation operation. There will be no contact with the civilian population." Meanwhile, WHO Director-General Ghebreyesus, in a message he published, tried to alleviate the concerns of the people of Tenerife by saying, "This is not another virus."
On the ship, where 3 people have died from hantavirus so far and 6 people have been diagnosed with the virus at present, there are 147 passengers and crew from 23 countries.