Passengers have started leaving the cruise ship linked to the hantavirus outbreak, Spain’s Ministry of Health confirmed, as part of a carefully coordinated international repatriation effort.

The vessel, MV Hondius, docked early Sunday at the Spanish island of Tenerife with 147 people on board. Small boats were used to transfer passengers from the ship, which remained anchored off the Port of Granadilla, to the island.

Once ashore, passengers boarded waiting buses that transported them directly to the airport, where flights were arranged to return them to their respective home countries.

Before disembarkation began, medical teams went aboard the ship to conduct health screenings and tests on both passengers and crew members, Spain’s Health Minister Mónica García announced shortly before 8 a.m.

Since departing Argentina last month, three deaths aboard the ship have been associated with hantavirus — a rare illness usually contracted through contact with urine or droppings of infected rodents. Several other individuals were medically evacuated earlier for treatment.

Authorities stated that the ship would remain anchored at what was described as the safest possible distance from the dock. Passengers were transported ashore in groups organized by nationality, using small boats carrying no more than 10 people at a time, according to the tour operator Oceanwide Expeditions.

Countries including the United States, Germany, France, Belgium, Ireland, and the Netherlands dispatched aircraft to retrieve their citizens. Oceanwide explained that the order of disembarkation was aligned with the arrival times of repatriation flights, noting that passengers’ luggage would stay onboard temporarily and be returned at a later date.

A representative from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention stated that 17 American passengers — none of whom are showing symptoms — will be transferred to the University of Nebraska Medical Center, home to the federally supported National Quarantine Unit.

After undergoing an initial evaluation at the facility, the Americans will continue monitoring at home for 42 days, with health checks expected to occur at least once per day.

Fourteen Spanish passengers are scheduled to disembark first. They will wear FFP2 masks, as will personnel involved in transportation and logistics operations, García confirmed on Saturday.

Upon arrival, the Spanish passengers will be taken to a military hospital and housed individually without visitors. They will receive a PCR test immediately and a second test seven days later, according to the health ministry.

The two Dutch passengers on board are expected to form the second group leaving the ship, García said Sunday morning.

The ship’s arrival has generated concern in the Canary Islands, where regional president Fernando Clavijo previously expressed opposition to allowing the vessel to dock.

Port workers in Tenerife have also staged demonstrations, citing insufficient communication regarding potential health risks.

After passenger disembarkation is complete, the ship and its crew are scheduled to sail to Rotterdam in the Netherlands. There, crew members will leave the vessel, and the ship will undergo a full disinfection process.

The hantavirus outbreak was reported to the World Health Organization on May 2. The WHO has indicated that the overall risk to the general public remains low.