US reveals plan to rescue 17 Americans stuck on board hantavirus-stricken cruise ship

The US has documented its plan to rescue 17 Americans stuck on the cruise ship affected by the hantavirus outbreak, which is set to dock in the Canary Islands this weekend.

MV Hondius is approaching the Spanish island of Tenerife and is set to dock off the coast of the popular tourist destination on Sunday (May 10).

More than 140 passengers are still on board following an outbreak of the rare hantavirus on ship as it sailed across the Atlantic Ocean following its departure from Ushuaia, Argentina, last month.

At least three people have died and several others who were sick have been evacuated from the ship.

There are five confirmed cases of Andes virus, a type of hantavirus typically spread by rodents such as mice. However, it can sometimes be passed on with close, intimate contact.

Health authorities are attempting to trace the passengers who disembarked and the people who may have had contact with them.

17 Americans are believed to be on the ship, with the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) sending officials to Tenerife ahead of Hondius's arrival on Sunday.

The US is preparing for the ship's arrival (AFP via Getty Images)

The plan is for American passengers to be boarded on a chartered flight back to the US and placed into quarantine in Nebraska.

CNN reports that the passengers will be isolated in a bid to prevent the virus from spreading.

In a statement provided to the outlet, Nebraska Medicine said: "Nebraska Medicine and UNMC remain in close coordination with national partners regarding the evolving situation with the hantavirus outbreak on the MV Hondius cruise ship.

"We cannot discuss specific communications at this time, but, our specialized teams, including the Nebraska Biocontainment Unit and National Quarantine Unit, are staffed and ready, if needed, to safely provide care while protecting our staff and the community."

A spokesperson for the US state department told CNN that the agency is 'in direct communication with Americans on board and are prepared to provide consular assistance as soon as the ship arrives in Tenerife, Spain'.

The ship is arriving in Tenerife this weekend (AFP via Getty Images)

There have been protests in Tenerife in recent days after the Spanish government agreed with the World Health Organization (WHO) that passengers on the hantavirus-stricken cruise ship could disembark there.

Joana Batista, a local port workers' union member, was one of the locals to voice her concerns.

"We're unhappy at the idea of being allowed to work in a port without special safety measures or information when an infected boat is approaching," she told BBC News.

"If the boat is going to stop here, then it can do so, but with the necessary measures in place. Local people need to be told how this will affect them, how the passengers will be transported. We need reassurance above all."