Lorraine Williamson
The evacuation of passengers from the hantavirus-hit MV Hondius has begun in Tenerife, but the operation has left a bitter political and local dispute in its wake.
While Madrid says the controlled disembarkation was necessary for safety and medical assistance, the Canary Islands president, Fernando Clavijo, has repeatedly questioned why the islands were asked to receive the ship. The row has turned a public-health operation into a test of trust between the central government, the Canary Islands, and residents watching from shore.
At a glance: why Tenerife is concerned
- The MV Hondius arrived off Tenerife after a deadly hantavirus outbreak.
- Madrid ordered the disembarkation for safety and health reasons.
- Canary Islands officials had objected to receiving the ship.
- Health officials say passengers remain asymptomatic, and public risk is low.
Madrid says it had to act
Spain’s government says it ordered the disembarkation because passenger safety and medical care had to come first.
Health Minister Mónica García said passengers on board remained asymptomatic and defended the operation as necessary under strict medical controls. RTVE reported that the central government gave the order despite opposition from Clavijo.
The government has also said the evacuation is being carried out under controlled health protocols, with passengers transferred by nationality and Spanish passengers sent to Madrid for quarantine.
Clavijo wanted the ship kept away from the islands
Clavijo had argued earlier that the cruise ship should be handled where it was, rather than brought to the Canary Islands.
On 5 May, he said the vessel should be assisted near Cabo Verde and sent directly to the Netherlands, where the operating company is based, instead of passing through the islands.
By 8 May, his position had shifted towards minimising contact with Canary territory. EFE reported that he wanted the Hondius to leave the islands immediately once the last passenger had disembarked. He also said passengers should move directly from prepared vehicles to aircraft so their time on land in the Canary Islands was as short as possible.
Fear focuses on rodents, contagion and memory of Covid
Some local concern has centred on whether rodents on board could spread the virus to the island.
Spain’s Health Ministry has sought to calm that fear. RTVE reported that officials said no rodents had been detected on the ship and that the long-tailed mouse linked to Andes hantavirus could not swim to the coast.
The wider anxiety is also shaped by memory. Reuters reported earlier this week that some Canary Islanders feared a repeat of cruise-related health scares seen during the COVID pandemic.
That does not mean the situations are medically the same. Hantavirus is not considered to spread like Covid. But for many residents, the arrival of another international cruise ship under health controls has revived old unease.
Port workers sought guarantees
Concerns were also raised by some port workers before the operation.
El País reported that workers at the ports of Santa Cruz de Tenerife and Granadilla had asked for clear information and protocols. The same reporting said the majority of the dockworkers’ union later welcomed the decision for the ship to remain offshore while passengers were brought ashore by boat or support vessel.
The president of the Tenerife Port Authority, Pedro Suárez, insisted there would be no improvisation and said workers had been informed about the operation.
Officials insist wider public risk is low
The public-health message has remained consistent: the operation is serious, but the wider risk is low if protocols are followed.
The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control has said all passengers are being treated as high-risk contacts as a precaution. Asymptomatic passengers should travel on specially arranged transport rather than commercial flights.
The World Health Organization has also stressed that this is not a COVID-style threat. The virus involved is serious, but transmission is linked to close contact and specific exposure, rather than casual contact in public spaces.
Tenerife becomes the stage for a global operation
Part of the tension comes from the scale of the response.
Spain has had to coordinate with several countries while passengers are repatriated in stages. El País described negotiations involving more than 20 countries over flights, quarantine, transfers, and the future disinfection of the ship.
For Tenerife, that has meant hosting a highly visible international health operation while trying to reassure residents that the island is not being placed at unnecessary risk.
A dispute about confidence as much as contagion
The evacuation itself may prove technically successful. Spanish passengers have already left for Madrid, and the operation is expected to continue into Monday.
But the political damage may last longer.
For Madrid, this is a humanitarian and public-health duty. For the Canary Islands government, it is a question of transparency, territorial respect, and local reassurance. And, for residents, it comes down to whether they believe the authorities have explained enough.
That is why the Tenerife hantavirus row is not only about one ship. It is about public trust when global health emergencies arrive at a local port.