Authorities are working out how to bring four Australians and one Australian permanent resident aboard the hantavirus-hit MV Hondius home when the ship arrives in Tenerife this weekend.
The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade confirmed officials were travelling to Tenerife ahead of the Dutch-flagged expedition vessel's expected arrival on Sunday local time, as authorities work through plans to repatriate passengers.
DFAT said it was not aware of any of the Australians or permanent residents showing symptoms of the virus at this stage.
"DFAT consular officials are travelling to Tenerife to provide consular assistance to them and coordinate response efforts with local authorities and partner countries," a DFAT spokesperson said on Saturday.
"We are considering options for the safe repatriation.
"Our priority is the safety of the community."
The ship has been stranded off the coast of Cape Verde after a deadly outbreak of hantavirus linked to at least three deaths and multiple serious illnesses onboard.
Spanish authorities are preparing to carry out a full epidemiological investigation and disinfect the vessel once it arrives in Tenerife.
Passengers will not be permitted to remain in Spain, or book commercial flights home, with each country expected to organise separate repatriation arrangements for its nationals.
Australian health authorities are now working with states and territories on quarantine, testing and health monitoring protocols for the returning travellers under the coordination of the Australian Centre for Disease Control.
Despite growing concern surrounding the outbreak, authorities stress the virus does not spread like COVID-19 or influenza.
Human-to-human transmission is considered rare and has only been observed in cases involving close, prolonged contact.
The World Health Organisation is overseeing the international response and currently assesses the risk to the wider global population as "low."
Laboratory testing and genetic sequencing are continuing to determine the exact hantavirus strain involved, with health authorities suspecting the Andes virus, a rare strain linked to limited human-to-human transmission in parts of South America.
The MV Hondius, operated by Oceanwide Expeditions, left Argentina last month on an expedition voyage through Antarctica and remote Atlantic islands before the outbreak emerged onboard.
Three people have died from the ship, including a Dutch couple and a German national.
Spanish outlet El Pais has previously reported one Australian passenger aboard the MV Hondius has already returned home after disembarking in St Helena alongside 22 other passengers.
