Mercy Ships, the hospital ship charity's first ever purpose-built newbuilding has been inaugurated in Dakar, Senegal in a ceremony and ribbon cutting overseen by the west African country’s president.

President Macky Sall cut the ribbon to the 36,600-gt Global Mercy (world's largest hospital ship as Afloat previously reported) alongside Mercy Ships founder Don Stephens as the new ship sat in port next to the charity’s existing 16,572-gt converted rail ferry Africa Mercy (built 1980).

While the celebrations were underway, the crew had already begun with the ship's first mission in strengthening African healthcare.

The new ship has six operating theatres, six hospital wards, radiology, screening, rehab and outpatient care.

Founded in 1978 by Don and Deyon Stephens, Mercy Ships has been active in more than 55 developing countries, providing medical services valued at more than $1.7bn to directly benefit more than 2.8m people.

Mercy Ships draws volunteers from over 60 nations — an average of more than 1,200 each year, including surgeons, nurses, dentists, healthcare trainers and teachers, as well as seafarers.

Tradewinds has further coverage of the ceremony. 

The World's largest and newest charity hospital ship operated by Mercy Ships announced plans to sail to Africa in late 2021 under the name of Global Mercy.

Mercy Ships, a faith-based global organisation powered by charitable donors and volunteers, has been providing world-class surgical care to those in need for more than 40 years, free of charge.

“The Global Mercy will be a true modern marvel— a fully custom-built hospital ship with customised instruments, state-of-the-art technology and highly-trained talent of a modern hospital,” said Rosa Whitaker, President of Mercy Ships. “It also represents a unique call-to-action for anyone called to serve, and it presents the opportunity for people to use their skillset to positively impact global healthcare.”

Each year, 18.6 million people die due to lack of access to surgical care, 93 per cent of whom stem from Africa. As COVID-19 threatens the stability of already fragile healthcare systems globally, the need to provide basic life-saving care is greater than ever, especially in low-to-middle income countries. The Global Mercy will deliver a safe and clean environment to various African nations, providing help and resources from some of the most well-trained physicians in the world. Over the vessel’s 50 year expected lifespan, it is estimated that more than 150,000 lives will be changed onboard through surgery alone.

In addition to providing surgeries, the Global Mercy will be outfitted with state-of-the-art training spaces including a simulation lab with virtual and augmented reality, mannequins and other training tools and simulated post-op care space, which allow trainers to simulate local conditions and limitations to teach best practices in low-resource environments.

The 174-meter, 37,000-ton ship will have six operating rooms and house over 600 volunteers from around the globe representing many disciplines including surgeons, maritime crew, cooks, teachers, electricians, the host staff and more. The ship will also feature a 682-seat auditorium, student academy, gymnasium, pool, café, shop and library – all of which have been designed to accommodate up to 950 crew onboard when docked in port.

The Global Mercy will join the current flagship Africa Mercy, more than doubling the impact of volunteers and services provided by the charity. For more information about Mercy Ships, updates on Global Mercy or how to volunteer or donate, please visit: www.mercyships.org.uk

Volunteers Sought

Afloat adds Mercy Ships are looking for volunteers. In order to double Mercy Ships impact for Africa’s healthcare systems, we need to double our crew. As the new Global Mercy and the Africa Mercy prepare to set sail, we're looking for maritime & technical professionals to join us onboard. There are also land based positions. For further information visit here.

#HospitalShip - After a year of preparation, the first volunteers from Stena Line are on board Mercy Ships’ hospital ship Africa Mercy.

In addition to fundraising and raising awareness for the humanitarian NGO, Stena Line aims to contribute to the organisation with its maritime knowledge and the unique technical and naval competence held by its employees.

During the year, a minimum of two Stena Line employees will work for Mercy Ships.   The first volunteer was Third Engineer Johnny Joensuu.  Johnny joined the ship in Camerun and is currently aiding sailing the ship to Las Palmas where it will be docked for maintenance before setting sail for Guinea.  Johnny will also be joined by Stena Line’s second volunteer Maria Ekstrand.

“It’s always exciting to be the first one out and you’ll get a chance like this once in your life. I really enjoy life onboard, the atmosphere is great and everyone has been very helpful. Also, we just passed the equator which is something I’ve always wanted to do.” said Johnny Joensuu.

The volunteer program is part of Stena Line’s sustainability work which bridges over all three dimensions of sustainability namely economic, ecologic and social.

“For us, social responsibility is about being a sustainable employer and to contribute to a more sustainable world by helping others. Thanks to our partnership with Mercy Ships we are able to share the knowledge and experience we have after 50 years in this business, and more importantly the unique technical and naval competence held by its employees.” commented Niclas Mårtensson, CEO at Stena Line.

Stena Line’s volunteer program was launched in 2017 and employees from all of the shipping company’s eight regions are encouraged to apply.  In line with Mercy Ships' values, all volunteers work for free, however Stena Line guarantees leave of absence and provides for the journey and all required vaccinations.

About Mercy Ships

Mercy Ships uses hospital ships to deliver free, world-class health care services, capacity building and sustainable development to those without access in the developing world. Founded in 1978 by Don and Deyon Stephens, Mercy Ships has worked in more than 70 countries providing services valued at more than $1.3 billion, treating more than 2.5 million direct beneficiaries. Each year Mercy Ships efforts involve an average of 1,000 volunteers from up to 40 nations. For more information please visit www.mercyships.org