Hantavirus Outbreak Sparks Outcry From Island Leader Before Ship's Arrival

The president of the Canary Islands has opposed Spain’s decision to allow the MV Hondius, the cruise ship hit by a hantavirus outbreak, to dock in the archipelago.

The Dutch-flagged ship had been due to dock on the island of Tenerife. However, as of May 5 it remained off the coast of Cape Verde, where authorities have refused it permission to dock over fears of spreading the virus to the local population.

Fernando Clavijo, the president of the Canary Islands, said he had requested an urgent meeting with Spain’s prime minister Pedro Sánchez to discuss the decision to allow the ship to dock in the islands.

“This decision ​is not based on any technical criteria, nor is there sufficient information to reassure the ​public or guarantee their safety,” he told radio station COPE.

According to the latest update from the World Health Organization, seven cases of hantavirus have so far been identified among those on board the ship, including two confirmed infections and five suspected cases.

Three people have died in connection with the outbreak. A Dutch woman died while being repatriated back to the Netherlands after her husband passed away on board the ship on April 11. She was confirmed to have contracted hantavirus, while the cause of her husband’s illness and death has not been established.

On May 2, another German national on board the ship died. The cause has not yet been established.

A further confirmed case of hantavirus involves a British national, who is currently receiving treatment in South Africa and is described as being in a “critical but stable condition.”

Two seriously ill crew members on the ship are set to be evacuated from Cape Verde to the Netherlands, the ship’s operator Oceanwide Expeditions said Tuesday, paving the way for the vessel to continue on to the Canary Islands.

This is a developing story. More to follow.

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This story was originally published May 6, 2026 at 2:32 AM.