U.S. Charters Yacht to Evacuate Citizen from Pitcairn After French Polynesia and Cruise Liner Block Other Routes

The Trump administration chartered the Titaina Explorer, a trimaran owned by a wealthy Frenchman, at a cost of $750,000 to evacuate one American citizen from Pitcairn Island. The woman had disembarked the Dutch MV Hondius cruise liner after a hantavirus outbreak in April, traveled through San Francisco and Tahiti, and reached the remote British territory before French Polynesian authorities blocked further transit.

U.S. Assistance to remove the woman from Pitcairn, which has roughly 50 inhabitants, no airport, and infrequent maritime transport. French Polynesian officials rejected initial plans to fly her to Tahiti because she had not disclosed potential virus exposure while transiting the island.

U.S. Is now moving the asymptomatic woman roughly 1,400 miles to Easter Island, a Chilean territory with direct flights to Santiago. The Titaina Explorer left Pitcairn on June 5; the voyage may take up to 10 days depending on conditions. Arranging the transfer took many weeks.

U.S. officials and an internal government document confirmed the details. The State Department declined to comment on the case. The MV Hondius continued its itinerary after the woman left; some passengers later fell ill and at least three died.

The evacuation has further reduced the State Department emergency fund, which now stands at its lowest level in seven years. The department is considering moving up to $50 million from embassy security, construction, and maintenance accounts and an additional $15 million from diplomatic programming funds into the emergency account. No decision has been made on either transfer.

The woman has no political or celebrity connections, officials said. They could not confirm when she would return to the United States.