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. 

Minister of Defence, Simon Coveney is considering a request to send Irish Naval Service vessels to help drug patrols off the West African coast which has become the main supply route for cocaine trafficking into Europe and Ireland.

As demand for the drug continues to rise across the EU, the estimated value of the market jumped by almost 50pc to €13bn in 2020 , according to a former garda who leads Europe’s primary anti-drugs smuggling agency, the Maritime Analysis and Operations Centre (Maoc) based in Lisbon.

In just over three years, Maoc-led operations under the command of former assistant commissioner Michael O’Sullivan have resulted in European navies seizing over €6bn worth of cocaine and cannabis which includes the interception of €2.1bn in 2020.

The EU-funded agency is the biggest threat to international drug trafficking syndicates as it co-ordinates the naval, air force and law enforcement resources of seven coastal European states – Ireland, the UK, Holland, France, Spain, Portugal and Italy – in combating narcotics trafficking from South America into Europe.

Mr O’Sullivan was appointed chief executive of the task force in 2017 after his retirement from An Garda Síochána where he was responsible for drug investigations.

More from the Independent.ie story here.