Passengers from the MV Hondius have started leaving the cruise ship at Tenerife as part of a multi-country repatriation operation managed by Spanish authorities.
The vessel docked at the Port of Granadilla early Sunday morning with 147 people on board, according to reports.
Passengers were ferried ashore in small boats of no more than 10 people, then taken by bus to the airport for onward evacuation to their home countries.
Before disembarking, medical teams boarded the ship to test passengers and crew, Spain’s health minister Monica Garcia confirmed before 8 am.
Since leaving Argentina last month, three deaths linked to hantavirus have been reported on board.
The rare disease is usually spread through contact with infected rodents’ urine or faeces.
Other passengers have been evacuated earlier for medical treatment.
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Local officials said the ship anchored at "the safest" distance from the dock.
Tour operator Oceanwide Expeditions said disembarkation would proceed by nationality, with luggage remaining on board for later return.
Several countries, including the United States (US), Germany, France, Belgium, Ireland and the Netherlands, are sending aircraft to repatriate their nationals.
A US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) official said the 17 American passengers, none of whom have symptoms, will be taken to the University of Nebraska Medical Center’s National Quarantine Unit for assessment before beginning 42 days of home monitoring.
Fourteen Spanish passengers were the first to disembark, wearing Filtering Face Piece 2 (FFP2) masks alongside staff involved in the transfer.
They will be taken to a military hospital for isolation in individual rooms, with Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) tests on arrival and seven days later.
Notably, the arrival of the ship caused friction in the Canary Islands.
Regional leader Fernando Clavijo said he opposed the docking, and port workers in Tenerife staged protests over concerns about communication and risk.
The ship and crew are due to continue to Rotterdam, where the vessel will be disinfected.
Also, the World Health Organisation (WHO) said the outbreak, first reported on 2 May, remains low risk to the general public.
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