Spain has agreed to receive the virus-hit cruise ship MV Hondius in the Canary Islands after a deadly hantavirus outbreak on board killed three passengers and left several others critically ill, marking a major international intervention as global health authorities race to contain the situation and investigate the possibility of rare human-to-human transmission of the disease.
The Dutch-flagged luxury expedition vessel, operated by Oceanwide Expeditions, had been stranded near Cape Verde after local authorities refused permission for passengers to disembark despite mounting medical concerns on board. The ship is now expected to sail toward either Gran Canaria or Tenerife in the Canary Islands, where Spanish authorities, the World Health Organisation, and European health agencies plan to coordinate emergency medical treatment, passenger screening, quarantine procedures and eventual repatriation operations.
The Spanish Health Ministry confirmed it accepted the request following appeals from both the WHO and the European Union, citing humanitarian obligations and international legal responsibilities. Spanish officials stressed that the Canary Islands were the nearest location equipped with the medical infrastructure and containment capabilities necessary to manage such a sensitive health emergency safely.
The ministry said all passengers and crew members would undergo medical examinations immediately upon arrival. Those infected or suspected of carrying the virus would receive specialised treatment, while transportation and evacuation procedures would be conducted using dedicated facilities and isolated medical vehicles to prevent exposure to the local population and protect frontline healthcare workers.
“Spain has a moral and legal obligation to assist these people,” the ministry stated, noting that several Spanish nationals are also among those aboard the ship.
The crisis has escalated rapidly since the outbreak first emerged in early April during the vessel’s high-end Antarctic expedition voyage. So far, a Dutch couple and a German national have died following suspected hantavirus infection. A British passenger was evacuated to South Africa earlier and remains in intensive care in Johannesburg after testing positive for the virus. Two crew members aboard the Hondius are also reported to require urgent medical attention, while another individual has displayed mild symptoms, including fever.
The ship’s doctor, a Dutch national who is reportedly gravely ill, is also being medically evacuated separately after the Spanish government approved a humanitarian medical flight at the request of the Dutch government.
Health authorities estimate that approximately 150 passengers and crew members from 23 different countries remain aboard the vessel, increasing the complexity of the response operation. The cruise primarily carried British, American and Spanish tourists participating in a luxury Antarctic wildlife expedition that departed from Ushuaia in late March.
The voyage itself included stops across some of the world’s most remote regions, including the Antarctic Peninsula, South Georgia, Tristan da Cunha and isolated bird-watching islands where rodents and seabirds coexist naturally. Berth prices for the expedition reportedly ranged between 14,000 and 22,000 euros, reflecting the exclusive nature of the cruise.
The WHO has now become deeply involved in the investigation because of growing concern that at least some infections may not have originated solely from rodent exposure. While hantavirus is traditionally transmitted through contact with infected rodents, their saliva, urine or droppings, officials now suspect that limited human-to-human transmission may have occurred among close contacts aboard the vessel.
Maria Van Kerkhove said the organisation believes transmission may have taken place between passengers who shared close living quarters, including married couples and cabin partners.
“We do believe that there may be some human-to-human transmission that’s happening among really close contacts, the husband and wife, people who have shared cabins,” Van Kerkhove said during a press briefing in Geneva.
Such transmission remains considered extremely rare. The WHO emphasised that the overall public risk remains low, noting that hantavirus outbreaks involving person-to-person spread have historically been limited mainly to certain strains such as the Andes virus found in parts of South America, particularly Argentina and Chile.
Testing is currently underway to determine the exact strain involved in the outbreak aboard the Hondius.
The WHO’s current working theory is that the first infected passengers — the Dutch couple who later died — may have contracted the virus before even boarding the vessel while travelling through Argentina. Additional passengers may also have been exposed during wildlife excursions to remote islands inhabited by rodents and seabirds.
The first known fatality, a Dutch passenger, died aboard the ship on April 11. His body reportedly remained on the vessel for nearly two weeks before finally being disembarked at Saint Helena on April 24, accompanied by his wife, who was already displaying gastrointestinal symptoms at the time. Her condition deteriorated during a medical flight to Johannesburg, and she later died upon arrival at a hospital emergency department on April 26.
The WHO has since launched contact-tracing operations involving passengers who shared flights or close contact with infected individuals during evacuations.
In a direct message to those still aboard the ship, Van Kerkhove acknowledged growing fear and uncertainty among passengers.
“We hear you, we know that you are scared,” she said, adding that the WHO is coordinating closely with ship operators and national governments to ensure safe evacuation, treatment and repatriation procedures.
The situation aboard the MV Hondius has now become one of the most closely monitored international maritime health emergencies in recent years, combining infectious disease concerns, cross-border evacuation logistics and fears surrounding the possibility of rare human transmission of a highly dangerous virus with a historically high fatality rate.
