Final Group of Passengers Disembarks—MV Hondius Heads to Netherlands for Disinfection
The final passengers disembarked from the hantavirus-affected cruise ship MV Hondius off Tenerife on Monday, with all 94 people evacuated as the vessel heads to the Netherlands for disinfection. Three deaths have been confirmed, including t
The final six passengers and some crew of the Ocean Worldwide Expeditions cruise ship MV Hondius, affected by hantavirus and anchored off Tenerife, Spain, disembarked on Monday, May 11 local time. Captain Jan Doborowolski praised the passengers' patience and discipline during the extremely challenging weeks, stating in a video posted on the company website: "I cannot imagine navigating this situation with a better group of people—passengers and crew alike." The last group of passengers consisted of four Australians, one British resident of Australia, and one New Zealander, who were taken ashore to Tenerife by small boat and will fly to the Netherlands for quarantine. The Dutch Foreign Ministry confirmed that 19 crew members and three doctors who treated patients aboard will also travel to the Netherlands on an earlier flight. The MV Hondius, with 26 crew members, will sail to the Netherlands—the ship's registered country—for disinfection. This disembarkation marks the end of a complex operation that has involved evacuating and repatriating 94 people. The ship sailed from southern Argentina 41 days ago, and nine days after the first confirmed hantavirus cases were detected. The death toll remains at three: two Dutch couples and one German, with two deaths confirmed as hantavirus-related. The World Health Organization reported on Monday that seven cases have been confirmed as Andes hantavirus, with two suspected cases, including one person who died before testing and another on Tristan da Cunha, a remote Atlantic island with no known hantavirus presence.
