In the early hours of Sunday, the MV Hondius dropped anchor at the industrial port of Granadilla de Abona in southern Tenerife, ending a night of political brinkmanship that nearly derailed the evacuation of passengers exposed to hantavirus. The standoff between the Canary Islands government and Madrid laid bare the friction between regional and national authorities in managing a public health crisis.
Fernando Clavijo, president of the Canary Islands government, accused the central government of ignoring a specific request: that remaining passengers be flown out on a Spanish military aircraft with capacity for 210 people, which he said was scheduled to travel with only 14 on board. After meetings with the ministers of Health, Interior, and Territorial Policy on Saturday afternoon failed to yield a satisfactory response, Clavijo announced he would instruct the Port Authority to deny the ship permission to anchor.
The central government responded 90 minutes later with an official directive. The Directorate-General for Merchant Shipping, in a letter signed by its director-general, ordered that the MV Hondius be received in Granadilla, citing “the need for medical assistance on board and the possible worsening of weather conditions.” The document argued that health controls were more effective in port than leaving the ship indefinitely at sea. Clavijo countered that the cruise ship would not anchor with his government’s authorisation, adding that if it did so on Madrid’s orders, “they would be the ones responsible for whatever might happen.”
Ultimately, the ship anchored at around 06:30 local time, and disembarkation began at about 09:40. The first to come ashore were 14 Spanish citizens, who boarded a coach from Spain’s Military Emergencies Unit (UME) escorted by the Civil Guard and headed for Tenerife South airport. The operation proceeded without incident, but the political rift underscored the challenges of coordinating a multinational response.
Orderly Evacuation Underway
While the political dispute unfolded, health minister Mónica García, interior minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska, and WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus oversaw preparations at the port on Saturday night. García confirmed that passengers remained symptom-free and outlined the operational framework: the cruise ship anchored inside the harbour basin with tug assistance, and passengers were brought ashore in launches in staggered groups according to nationality and available flights.
No one disembarked with luggage; each passenger was allowed only a small bag containing documents, phone, charger, and basic necessities. Everyone wore FFP2 masks, including logistics staff and bus drivers. The health minister confirmed that 23 countries have been affected by the hantavirus detected on the cruise. The last passenger flight, bound for Australia, is scheduled to leave Tenerife on Monday afternoon.
Interior minister Grande-Marlaska stated on Saturday that most of the planes needed were already in Tenerife, with the remainder arriving the following day. García explained that the decision on whether the ship would anchor or berth depended on factors including the Maritime Captaincy, port authorities, sea conditions, and health conditions. The European Commission activated the EU Civil Protection Mechanism, through which Norway sent a rescEU air ambulance to Tenerife, while additional transport capacity from other member states remained on standby.
The WHO director-general flew to Tenerife to oversee the operation and delivered a direct message to the island’s population. “We understand the concern because we all have the experience of Covid and that trauma is still present in our minds, but the situation now is much better,” he said. He also recalled that the International Health Regulations oblige countries to cooperate, and expressed gratitude for finding in Spain “a strong conviction of solidarity.”
On Friday, the WHO confirmed six of the eight initially suspected cases and said no suspected cases remained pending on the ship. The MV Hondius, which sails under the Dutch flag, left Ushuaia on 1 April for a cruise in the South Atlantic. The outbreak, which has caused three deaths and affects passengers of 23 nationalities, was preceded by weeks of negotiations and refusals: Cape Verde did not authorise disembarkation, and Spain took several days to accept the WHO’s request before setting the operation in motion.
For more on the local response, see Tenerife Residents Calm as Hantavirus-Linked Cruise Ship Docks. The earlier evacuation in Cape Verde is detailed in Three Evacuated from MV Hondius in Cape Verde Over Suspected Hantavirus. An overview of the broader outbreak is available in Hantavirus Outbreak on Cruise Ship Reaches Canary Islands as Evacuation Begins.
