Recently, Guangzhou Shipbuilding International (GSI), a subsidiary of China State Shipbuilding Corporation (CSSC), together with China Shipbuilding Trading Co. Ltd (CSTC), has signed a contract for the construction of a hospital ship with Mercy Ships International (MSI), an international charity organization.
It is understood that the hospital ship is mainly donated by the MSC Foundation, and will be operated by Mercy Ships after delivered, which will be mainly used to provide medical services to developing countries, such as the African region and to support their medical professionals to develop healthcare systems.
The hospital ship measures 174.1 meters in overall length, 28.6 meters in breadth, 6.4 meters in structural draught, 12 knots in service speed, 500 passengers under sail and 950 in port. The hospital ship integrates the functions of passenger life, hospital medical treatment and school education, which is a high-specification passenger ship with an international standard hospital.
The hospital section is the key functional area of the ship, which mainly consists of laboratory, general outpatient clinic, ophthalmology outpatient clinic, dental outpatient clinic, CT scanning room, rehabilitation room, operating room, pharmacy, ICU ward, inpatient department, nursing station, training center etc. Other functional cabins include restaurants, cafes, stores, libraries, movie theaters, outdoor swimming pools, etc.
It is understood that GSI and MSC Group have a good foundation of cooperation. The two sides have signed contracts for the construction of eight 16,000 TEU container ships and four luxury ro-pax vessels in 2021 and 2022. Based on the full trust between the two parties, MSC Group and Mercy Ships preferred GSI as the builder of the hospital ship.
GSI has rich experience in the construction of hospital ships, it has built the world’s first 10,000-ton large professional hospital ship “Peace Ark”.