The vessel's arrival follows a dispute between the Government of the Canary Islands and the Spanish Government. The regional president had initially opposed authorizing the anchoring, citing concerns about the health security of the islands.
“"I must regret the lack of dialogue with the Government of Spain, the failure to provide reports, and the lack of a logical explanation as to why, if passengers are adequately healthy, they can enter a bus but not a 250-passenger plane."
Conversely, the Secretary of State for Health criticized the regional president's stance, accusing him of “playing politics to boycott a globally significant operation.” He affirmed that the health risk is “remote” and that all action protocols are being strictly followed.
“"That idea he had of an infected mouse jumping from a ship to swim 200 meters and climb the dock to colonize Tenerife is not a risk."
The Secretary of State emphasized that the hantavirus-carrying rodent is a mountain species, not marine, and highlighted that despite numerous cruises traveling to Argentina and Chile annually, no outbreak has ever been recorded in Europe. The operation for passenger disembarkation and repatriation is part of the European civil protection mechanism, involving 23 countries and being executed in record time.
