Tenerife port workers protest cruise ship after deadly hantavirus outbreak

Protesters blew whistles and vuvuzelas and waved flags.

“We don’t like the idea that we will be allowed to work in the port without special safety measures or information when an infected ship is approaching,” said Joana Batista, a protester from a local dockworkers’ union.

Some of her colleagues threatened to block the cruise ship’s arrival if their demands were not met. Protesters insisted that local residents be fully informed about the potential danger.

Nutritionist Maria de la Luz Cedeño also joined the protest. She supported the demonstrators’ demands and voiced frustration over the arrival of irregular migrants from North and West Africa.

“This is the last straw when it comes to everything Canary Islands residents have to put up with,” she said.

The Spanish government said the MV Hondius would not dock directly in Tenerife but would anchor offshore. Passengers will be transferred to the remote industrial port of Granadilla and then sent home.

It emerged on May 4 that an outbreak of a rare hantavirus infection had been detected on the MV Hondius, which was off the coast of Cabo Verde in the Atlantic Ocean with about 150 people on board. Five Ukrainians are also on the ship.

Three people have died, and at least three others have been infected.

On May 6, Spain said it would accept the MV Hondius after a request from the WHO and the EU. Later, however, the Canary Islands government walked back earlier claims that it was ready to receive the ship and said additional consultations with Madrid were needed.