MAN donates gensets to hospital ship

The Africa Mercy is the world’s largest civilian hospital ship and provides free medical care in African coastal areas to those who otherwise could not afford it. MAN Diesel & Turbo has granted a donation of around €350,000 for the benefit of the organisation.

The Africa Mercy is equipped to the same standard as a medium-sized hospital, with six operating theatres, modern X-ray and computer tomography equipment, a dental practice, a pharmacy, and more besides. There are also facilities for the approximately 400 voluntary crew members and their families, who often live on board for months at a time, and includes recreation rooms, a large kitchen, a laundry, and a school for up to 60 children. All these amenities require considerable electric power, produced on board by diesel-powered generators.

Because the 1980 built Africa Mercy is a converted Danish rail ferry, it had become essential to replace the on-board power gensets in order to provide the vessel with a reliable supply of power and enable it to remain in service. As a result, the ship’s power supplies will be provided by four 5L21/31 type MAN engines, each with an output of 1,000kW. They will be mounted to cause minimum vibration, as any vibration transmitted to the operating theatres could make the surgeons’ task more difficult. The engines are due to be installed when the vessel puts into port in South Africa in September 2010.

“Some of the world’s poorest countries are situated on the African coast. Many people in these areas have no hope of receiving medical treatment, either because the medical infrastructure is not there or because it is only accessible to the few who can afford it. Mercy Ships does something remarkable by providing free assistance on its hospital ship in these very areas. We are delighted to support this vital initiative with our own diesel engines. It’s important to us to fulfill our social responsibility even in economically difficult times,” says Klaus Stahlmann, CEO of MAN Diesel & Turbo SE.

Don Stephens, founder and president of Mercy Ships, welcomed the donation “We are delighted that MAN wants to support our work with the underprivileged in Africa. Thanks to this partnership and the new diesel generators from MAN Diesel & Turbo, Mercy Ships will be able to reduce its fuel consumption and CO₂ emissions by 20% and also cut annual fuel costs substantially. The money we save will be used for the direct benefit of patients on board the Africa Mercy.”