Tymor Marine donates naval architectural skills to world’s largest hospital ship Africa Mercy
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20 March 2017
A Scottish marine company is helping the world’s biggest hospital ship by donating its skills to the life-saving project.
Tymor Marine directors Kevin Moran and Professor Colin MacFarlane will fly to Gran Canaria, to carry out work on Africa Mercy which is crewed almost entirely by volunteers and provides free medical care to some of the world’s most vulnerable people.
They will make a considerable donation of time and naval architectural services when the 152-metre vessel is in dry dock in the Canary Islands this summer.
Mercy Ships was founded in 1978 and has worked in more than 70 countries with more than 2.56million people having directly benefited from treatment. The Africa Mercy is crewed by 400 volunteers from around 40 nations, an average of 1000 each year. Professionals including surgeons, dentists, nurses, healthcare trainers, teachers, cooks, seamen, engineers and agriculturalists donate their time and skills to the effort.
Africa Mercy has five operating theatres on board and carries out around 7,000 surgical procedures every year including cataract removal/lens implants, tumour removal, cleft lip, palate reconstruction, orthopaedics and fistula repair.
Kevin Moran said: "I had been on the very first Mercy Ships vessel, which was an old cruise ship called the MV Anastasis, when I was a cadet. It was in Edinburgh and I went along to see it and that’s how I got to know about the tremendous work they do.
"The idea behind us getting involved is that we want to give something back and we want do it in such a way that we can use our skills to add value. Helping Mercy Ships is the perfect way.
"I contacted them to offer our assistance and they put me in touch with Ciaran Holden, technical superintendent of marine operations. We hope that this will be along-term relationship and we have already helped them with some of their stability documentation.
"In July myself and Colin MacFarlane, our technical director, will travel to Las Palmas to carry out a deadweight survey when the Africa Mercy is in dry dock. After that, if required, we will carry out an inclining experiment. We will look to mobilise our unique MOSIS technology, if we need to carry out an in situ inclining test for stability.”
Ciaran Holden said: "We're grateful for Tymor's investment and partnership with Mercy Ships in our mission to provide free lifesaving surgeries for people in Africa where medical care is nearly non- existent.
"As a passenger ship, we are required to check the position and weight of everything on board to ensure there are no changes that will affect our stability. Tymor’s role will be to audit what is on board and check to ensure that any changes are below a 2% margin. If they are not, an inclining test will be required. Tymor will carry out the inclining test whilst the vessel is alongside in the yard if it is needed.”
