The MV Hondius, operated by Oceanwide Expeditions, departed the port of Granadilla de Abona on Tenerife on Monday after the last six passengers and crew members disembarked from the hantavirus-stricken ship.
Four Australians, a Briton living in Australia and a New Zealander were taken off the ship, along with 19 crew members and two doctors, according to Reuters.
Evacuated passengers and staff were transferred to the local airport and flown to the Netherlands. The passengers were expected to continue on to Australia, where authorities will decide where they complete quarantine. The ship continued toward the Netherlands with 25 crew members, a doctor and a nurse on board.
The evacuation concludes a complex international operation that has seen 94 people repatriated to their countries of residence. It came 41 days after the MV Hondius left southern Argentina and nine days after the first positive test for the respiratory viral infection.
Three people — a Dutch couple and a German national — have died since the outbreak began. The World Health Organization said Monday there were seven confirmed cases of the Andes strain of hantavirus and two suspected cases linked to the ship.
Among the confirmed cases is a French passenger whose condition was reported to be deteriorating. Spain also said one of 14 Spanish nationals quarantining at a military hospital in Madrid had tested positive, though the patient had no symptoms and further tests were being carried out. U.S. officials said one of 17 Americans being repatriated had tested mildly positive, while Spanish authorities said a second sample was inconclusive.
Health officials have sought to reassure the public that the risk remains low. Hantavirus is usually spread through contact with infected wild rodents, though the Andes strain can, in rare cases, spread between people through close contact. Officials said it does not transmit easily.
The WHO handled the evacuation of the ship and has recommended a 42-day quarantine for all passengers. WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said evacuating the ship was necessary to balance public safety with the mental health of those confined on board for weeks.
