Mercy Ships has reached an agreement with Asian and European shipbuilding firms to purpose-build a new 36,600-GRT hospital ship for Mercy Ships.
Contracts were signed between Mr. Dong Qiang, VP of China Shipbuilding Industry Corporation (CSIC), and Donald K. Stephens, President/ Founder of Mercy Ships, together with Jim Paterson, Senior VP of Mercy Ships Marine Operations.
The vessel will be built at the group’s Tianjin Xingang Shipyard where the shipyard’s Chairman, Mr. Gao Xuehu, and President, Mr. Hu Xiang, expressed excitement to be working on this unique project.
“ This project will make this vessel the world’s largest civilian hospital ship, and delivery is being planned for July 2017, ” stated Mr. Gao Xuehu, Chairman of Tianjin Xingang Shipbuilding Heavy Industry, Ltd.
The 174-meter hospital ship will be designed by the Finnish firm Deltamarin. Stena RoRo will manage the actual project construction under the leadership of Per Westling, Managing Director.
The new Mercy Ship will be classed by Lloyd’s Register and flagged by Malta.
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Press Release, December 20, 2013