Page 56: of Maritime Reporter Magazine (August 2013)

56 Maritime Reporter & Engineering News ? AUGUST 2013 The Shipyard EditionInternational faith-based organiza- tion Mercy Ships has used ships as traveling hospitals since 1978, pro-viding health services to millions of people from the world?s poorest coun- tries. Gathering praise from Þ gures such as Nelson Mandella, Desmond Tutu, Jimmy Carter, George W. Bush and Tony Blair, the organization and its work have had a vast impact globally with more than 2.42 million direct beneÞ ciaries to date and an estimated cumulative work bill near $1 billion.Funded primarily through private do-nations, Mercy Ships is now operating its fourth vessel, Africa Mercy. Built in 1980, the vessel began her career as a Ro/Ro rail ferry for the Danish State Railway System and was purchased for $151 million by Mercy Ships in 1999. By 2007, the ship was completely con-verted into a cutting-edge surgical hos- pital, giving Africa Mercy the title of largest nongovernmental hospital ship on the planet. The extensive overhaul provided capacity for up to 484 crew/staff, Þ ve operating rooms, Þ ve wards, labs, x-ray suite and other ancillary ser- vice spaces; but most importantly, the reÞ t offered capability to help countless patients throughout Africa?s deprived coastal regions.?Through the use of the hospital ship, Mercy Ships delivers world-class sur- gical interventions, most not available in the countries we serve,? said Don Stephens, Mercy Ships President and Founder. The unique mobility of the state-of-the-art specialist surgical hos- pital provides medical attention rang-ing from tumor removal and orthopedic repair to cleft palate reconstruction and dental care. Thanks to Africa Mercy, people who would not otherwise have access to such treatments can receive professional care in a controlled, clean and safe environment; roughly 7,000 surgical procedures are performed aboard the ship annually. But as with all vessels of this scale, yearly maintenance helps keep the Afri- ca Mercy fully operational for 10 months of the year. In June, the vessel made her third visit to Astican Shipyard in Las Palmas, Gran Canaria for scheduled re-pair and upkeep. There, Africa Mercy re- ceived ?signiÞ cant upgrades,? said Ken Berry, Mercy Ships Director of Marine Operations, including improvements to the ship?s engine and navigation and functional interior refurbishments. Because the ship is 33 years old, many of its parts have become outdated and in-creasingly difÞ cult to maintain. Astican Maintaining the Ship of Mercy by Eric HaunAfrica Mercy alongside at a repair berth in Astican Shipyard, Las Palmas, Gran Canaria for brief annual upkeep period of repairs and modernization. (Photo credit: © Mercy Ships/Ann Berry) MR #8 (50-57).indd 56MR #8 (50-57).indd 568/1/2013 10:11:30 AM8/1/2013 10:11:30 AM