MV Hondius cruise ship seeks to dock in the Canaries

The Spanish Government delegation in the Canaries is evaluating the possibilities of evacuating two seriously ill crew members of the cruise ship MV Hondius, which has already seen three passengers die from a possible hantavirus outbreak.

The MV Hondius is currently anchored off the coast of Cape Verde, with 150 passengers in strict isolation. Cape Verdean local authorities yesterday refused to authorise its docking due to “serious worries about risk to public health.”

If the cruiser is given permission to dock at the Canaries, it is likely to be at Las Palmas de Gran Canaria or Santa Cruz de Tenerife, which have the largest hospitals on the islands.

The MV Hondius left Argentina on March 20^th, for a cruise that would take in the Falkland Islands, South Georgia and Tristan da Cunha. On April 12^th, a Dutch passenger died, and his body was shipped to shore in Argentina, accompanied by his wife. On the return journey, the wife also died.

A British passenger was later evacuated in South Africa and diagnosed with a hantavirus variant.  Two days ago, a German passenger also died of as yet unidentified causes.

The two crew members requiring urgent medical attention are a British and Dutch national, both of whom are suffering from respiratory problems.