By Sunday evening, the repatriation effort had already moved 94 passengers of 19 different nationalities off the ship. The Spanish health ministry said the final evacuation flight was expected to depart on Monday afternoon.

TENERIFE, Spain, May 10 (Xinhua) -- At around 5:30 a.m. local time (0430 GMT) on Sunday, the cruise ship MV Hondius, linked to a hantavirus outbreak, slowly entered the waters off the Port of Granadilla on the Spanish island of Tenerife in the Canary Islands.

In the dim pre-dawn light, the vessel, which had drawn international attention for days, did not dock at the pier. Instead, it dropped anchor about 500 meters from shore.

Spanish authorities launched an operation to evacuate and transfer all passengers and part of the crew aboard the cruise ship. The ship had already spent days at sea under growing scrutiny after health authorities confirmed infections among passengers. Earlier, it had lingered near Cape Verde, where three symptomatic individuals were evacuated for treatment. But the island nation lacked the capacity to manage a full-scale response, prompting an international coordination effort involving the World Health Organization (WHO), the European Union, and Spanish authorities. The vessel was ultimately redirected toward Spain's Canary Islands, where medical infrastructure and evacuation logistics could be mobilized.

By the time the MV Hondius entered waters off Tenerife, the port area had already been transformed into a controlled operations zone. Police units, ambulances, and port staff positioned themselves along the harbor perimeter, while curious residents gathered at a distance, watching a ship that had become the focus of international concern.

One local resident, pausing briefly on a motorcycle near the shoreline, summed up the unease shared by many: "This is too complicated for ordinary people like us. I can only hope it's nothing serious."

Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, director-general of WHO, arrived in Tenerife on Friday to coordinate evacuation and public health operations related to the vessel. He urged residents to remain calm, stressing that the incident "is not another COVID pandemic."

Under a plan announced by Spanish health authorities, most of the more than 100 people onboard were scheduled for medical screening, isolation, and phased transfers, coordinated by WHO and the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control. The process involved specially arranged transport systems and quarantine facilities to avoid contact with local residents.

Operations did not begin immediately after anchoring. For hours, the ship remained largely dark and motionless, its presence marked only by the quiet activity of officials preparing for the first transfers.

Evacuation operations began finally on Sunday morning. Passengers wearing protective suits were transferred to shore in small boats in groups. Each evacuee was allowed only one small bag, while remaining luggage stayed onboard.

Spanish nationals were the first to disembark, boarding buses directly to the airport, where government-arranged flights transported them to Madrid for quarantine observation in hospital facilities.

Spanish Health Minister Monica Garcia said no passengers currently onboard were showing symptoms and that authorities had implemented "all necessary safety measures."

The MV Hondius, operated by Dutch company Oceanwide Expeditions, specializes in polar expedition cruises. So far, eight cases of hantavirus have been reported onboard, including three deaths, according to the WHO.

By Sunday evening, the repatriation effort had already moved 94 passengers of 19 different nationalities off the ship. The Spanish health ministry said the final evacuation flight was expected to depart on Monday afternoon.