Mercy Ships gaining support from Norwegian maritime sectorMercy Ships gaining support from Norwegian maritime sector

Mercy Ships captured the interest of hundreds of maritime equipment suppliers, designers and shipyards after being named the official charity partner of the maritime branch of the Federation of Norwegian Industries. 

It is a significant move, as the charity seeks to gain the resources it needs for its latest newbuild, adding to its fleet of hospital ships alongside Global Mercy and Africa Mercy.  

‘We are keen to engage with the Norwegian maritime sector to procure the resources and expertise we need to execute this state-of-the-art newbuild project and believe this can also be a prestigious reference to bolster the market reputation of suppliers,’ said Martin Aarflot, national director of Mercy Ships Norway.

Aarflot presented the work of Mercy Ships at the annual Verftskonferansen hosted by the federation’s maritime branch in Ålesund earlier this month where he told over 400 delegates: ‘With wealth comes responsibility. The wining and dining budget of this conference alone would represent a substantial donation.’ 

Guangzhou Shipyard

Financial support for the charity’s third hospital ship comes from the charitable foundation of container shipping giant MSC Group. The purpose-built 174.1m vessel, with 7000 sq m of hospital space spanning two decks, will have six operating rooms, a fully equipped laboratory and training facilities, as well as accommodation for 600 crew and guests. It will be constructed at China’s Guangzhou Shipyard International under a newbuild contract with shipbuilding conglomerate CSSC Holdings.

Timeline

Construction work is set to kick off with steel-cutting in December 2025. The keel-laying and launch of the hull will take place in the period to November 2026, followed by two years of outfitting prior to its scheduled delivery in March 2028. A year of equipping the vessel with hospital facilities will then take place. 

‘We are still looking to fill gaps in the makers’ list for the newbuild so there remains a lot of potential for Norwegian suppliers to participate in this project. If you want to be part of this new adventure with us, now is the opportunity,’ Aarflot told the conference.

He added, ‘Gaining this coveted status as the federation’s chosen charity partner for maritime clearly has great significance for us in terms of recognition and valuable support for our work from the globally renowned Norwegian maritime industry - and we think this is a win-win deal.’

To date, Mercy Ships has performed over 117,000 transformative surgeries in African countries while training over 54,000 medical professionals to strengthen local healthcare services, impacting the lives of almost 3m people, since being founded in 1978.

Aarflot explained that more people are dying due to lack of surgery than from war, hunger, malaria and other diseases combined, accounting for some 46,000 deaths daily.

Support from suppliers

As well as procuring equipment and services, Mercy Ships is looking to boost recruitment for a wide range of voluntary positions onboard its vessels - from seafarers and technicians to catering staff, as well as medical personnel.

The industry federation’s head of maritime Stål Heggelund stated, ‘Mercy Ships represents a great humanitarian cause that is worthy of our support. By pulling together with the combined expertise and resources of the Norwegian maritime sector, we can make a big difference to our world while supporting the key UN Sustainable Development Goals of Health & Wellbeing and Quality Education.’

Norwegian ballast water treatment specialist Optimarin is positive about the engagement of Mercy Ships as a charity partner by the federation. ‘We are excited at the prospect of being able to contribute to the expansion of Mercy Ships’ important humanitarian work through the latest newbuilding project,’ said the company’s EVP sales & marketing, Tore Andersen.

‘This also provides a great opportunity for the wider maritime sector to demonstrate its high level of technological competence by delivering innovative top-notch equipment and efficient services that can enhance the capabilities of this new state-of-the-art hospital ship. Norwegian suppliers can be proud of contributing to such a project.’