Hantavirus-hit MV Hondius evacuation begins: Did political standoff mar compassion?

It was only after political differences were weathered that passengers of a cruise ship affected by hantavirus on Sunday (May 10) began to disembark from the vessel, which was anchored off the coast of Tenerife in Spain's Canary Islands, just hours after its arrival, as evacuation plans commenced. There are people of more than 20 nationalities on board, including 13 Spanish and two Indians.

Spanish authorities, the World Health Organisation (WHO) and cruise company Oceanwide Expeditions, which operates the Dutch-flagged vessel, said nobody among the more than 140 people aboard showed symptoms of the deadly virus, a rare disease caused mainly by exposure to infected rodents’ urine or droppings.

The assurances came after the WHO said on May 7 that overall, five of eight suspected cases of hantavirus had been confirmed, and three persons died, including a 69-year-old Dutch woman. The WHO also said that the virus’s outbreak doesn’t mean a pandemic has started. Maria van Kerkhove, an infectious disease epidemiologist at the UN health agency, told a news briefing that the situation was different from the COVID-19 threat six years ago, because hantavirus spreads through “close, intimate contact, BBC reported.

Also read: ICMR on hantavirus cases: No immediate threat to India

However, the episode nevertheless displayed a weeklong critical humanitarian and legal impasse in the Atlantic.

Political tussle over virus-hit ship

Fernando Clavijo, president of the Canary Islands, denied the virus-stricken ship permission to anchor this week, resulting in a strong reaction from the WHO. He expressed concerns over public safety and the region’s distressing experience during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The WHO was not impressed with the stance and said Spain has a “moral and legal obligation” to assist the people on the ship, including several of its own citizens. The Canary Islands are an autonomous community of Spain.

The issue also saw Spain’s national government, which indicated that the ship would be allowed to dock, in conflict with the regional authority amid an ongoing international health crisis. Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez viewed the case with more compassion, earning appreciation from WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.

Canary Islands authorities alleged that they were not consulted by the Spanish government while implementing its health operation in coordination with the European Union (EU).

The MV Hondius, which originated from Ushuaia, Argentina, on April 1, had been moored off the coast of Cape Verde since May 3. However, Cape Verde was deemed incapable of handling the extensive evacuation and medical response that was necessary. Three individuals, including the ship's own physician, were medically evacuated while the vessel was in proximity to Cape Verde and transported to specialised hospitals in Europe for treatment.

Also read: How a rare Hantavirus outbreak on a cruise ship triggered a global health probe

On Wednesday (May 6), Spain's Interior Ministry confirmed that the passengers would begin disembarking in the Canary Islands starting later in the week, thereby resolving the immediate impasse. The ship left Cape Verde the same day and reached Tenerife early Sunday morning.

The WHO has been collaborating closely with Spanish authorities to establish safe, orderly, and dignified protocols for the evacuation of the remaining passengers and crew, which eventually began on Sunday.

How the passengers were evacuated

The first group of passengers disembarked the ship in small boats and headed to the Port of Granadilla, Tenerife, from where they were set to be transported to a hospital in Madrid. The Spanish passengers, who were first to get down in small groups of five, were taken to the shore from where a bus took them to the local airport. A military plane would take them to Madrid, government sources reportedly said, emphasising that they would not come into contact with the common people.

Some Spanish passengers aboard the ship told The Associated Press that they're concerned about being stigmatised once back on shore.

About other nationalities

The US, the UK and the Netherlands decided to send planes to evacuate their nationals. Americans on board will be quarantined at a medical centre in Nebraska, the US.

Twenty-nine people will be on board the Dutch charter flight, including Dutch nationals and people of other nationalities, the Dutch foreign ministry said.

Five French passengers were set to be repatriated on Sunday, and will be in hospital for 72 hours for monitoring, after which they will quarantine at home for 45 days, France's foreign ministry confirmed.

UK passengers and crew will be hospitalised for observation once they are flown home, British authorities say.

Australia is sending a plane expected to arrive Monday (May 11) to evacuate its nationals, and those from nearby countries such as New Zealand, Spanish Health Minister Mónica García said. Its plane will be the last to leave Tenerife, she said. Garcia said the entire evacuation process was proceeding normally.

Also read: Nipah virus back in Kerala; woman critical, two others likely infected

Norway has sent an ambulance plane to Tenerife with personnel trained for the transport of patients with high-risk infections, its Directorate for Civil Protection told public broadcaster NRK.

The ambulance plane is owned by the EU.

India’s health ministry has also activated precautionary surveillance measures after the reported cases of the virus outbreak aboard the MV Hondius. The two Indian nationals on the ship are reportedly asymptomatic.

Many disappeared even before virus was detected

The story says something more about just evacuation. While governments coordinated evacuation flights and quarantine centres, health authorities across four continents were trying to trace dozens of passengers who had left the ship before the outbreak was first detected on May 2.

The MV Hondius episode perhaps isn’t just about the virus. It’s how quickly the language of compassion cracks under the weight of political pressure — and how a ship full of tourists became a geopolitical hot potato before it became a humanitarian mission.

(With agency inputs)