Switzerland's MSC shipping company is to help fund the construction of a hospital ship to be used by the Mercy Ships organization in Africa, MSC announced in Geneva an Monday.
The hospital ship is to have six operating theatres on two decks, as well as facilities for training doctors and other medical staff. MSC – formally Mediterranean Shipping Company – is the world's largest container shipping company and will fund the project through its MSC Foundation.
Founded in 1978, Mercy Ships focuses on providing medical services to African countries. It already operates the two largest civilian hospital ships in the world.
"More than 2,000 surgical operations and 8,000 dental treatments per year give hope to our patients in Africa," the Christian organization says on its website. It draws more than 1,000 volunteers from 60 countries every year. Its ships usually spend around 10 months in a port.
No details on costs or on when building the ship would be complete were released.
