Mercy Ships is an international charity-based non-governmental organization that operates the largest non-governmental hospital ship service in the world, providing surgical care and surgical education in Africa, community development projects, community health education, mental health programs, agriculture projects, and palliative care for terminally ill patients. Its has a headquarters in Garden Valley, Texas, and offices in sixteen countries around the world.
The organization's main "target" are those with complicated or catastrophic health problems, unable to afford the out-of-pocket fees of regular medical care.
History
Mercy Ships was founded in 1978 by Don and Deyon Stephens in Lausanne, Switzerland, motivated by their Christian faith.
The first ocean liner acquired was transformed into the hospital ship In 1983, the Anastasis (the Greek word for "resurrection") began operations in the South Pacific, then moved to Central America and the Caribbean Sea in the mid-80s. and remained in service there until 2007. The final port of call for the Anastasis was Monrovia, Liberia, as the Africa Mercy took over operations. a hospital ship that went to Central American and Caribbean ports. The ship offered berths for 150 crew. Over the course of several years, the ship was equipped with eye-surgery capabilities. On land, volunteers from the Caribbean Mercy also provided dental, orthopedic and healthcare services. The Caribbean Mercy visited 138 ports of call and remained in service until May 2005. The organization historically used retired ocean liners and ferries that had been transformed into floating hospitals. In 2021, however, its first purpose-built hospital ship, the Global Mercy, joined the fleet.
thumb|The hospital ship [[Africa Mercy during a mission to Pointe Noire, Congo, 2013]]In 1983, the Canadian coastal ferry MV Petite Forte, formerly operated by CN Marine, was donated to Mercy Ships initially under the name MV Good Samaritan. The vessel was 188 ft long, weighing 1,135 tonnes and had a capacity for approximately 98 passengers.when it was transferred to the Far East Maritime Foundation in the Philippines and operated as the training ship Far East I.The countries it served included Brazil, the Dominican Republic, Guyana and Haiti. The ship also reached beyond the Caribbean with relief and medical operations in Guinea-Bissau, Western Samoa, the Tokelau Islands and New Zealand.
In 1999 the organization began preparing a successor to the Anastasis by acquiring the almost 500 feet long Danish rail ferry Dronning Ingrid. The organization refitted the vessel into the 16,500-ton hospital ship Africa Mercy for US$62 million.
thumb|The hospital ship [[Africa Mercy while in Conakry, Guinea, in 2019]]
In 2007, the Africa Mercy made her official maiden voyage to Monrovia, Liberia, from the shipyard in England. In 2008, the Africa Mercy continued her service to Liberia, offering free surgeries, assistance in healthcare infrastructure development, and community-based preventive health care programs. More than 1,200 surgical procedures and 10,000 dental procedures were completed, along with community health projects such as HIV/AIDS prevention and construction of wells and latrines.
Early in 2010, the ship was docked in Lomé, Togo, for the 2010 field service. In August 2010, the Africa Mercy went into a shipyard in South Africa, where it was equipped with new, more efficient generators. In 2009, the ship was docked in Cotonou, Benin, from February to December, providing free surgeries and medical care. Mercy Ships also worked with Beninese citizens on agriculture and water development projects on the ground in Benin. Before the Africa Mercy arrives in port, flyers are distributed to alert the public to the ship's upcoming visit. According to Jonathan Eppley of the Big Rapids Pioneer, the ship must first get invited by "a developing nation with a stable government." Then the ship will dock and operate as a floating hospital generally for 8 to 10 months, then goes off to resupply and make ship repairs.
In 2019, the Africa Mercy docked in Dakar, Senegal, for a six-month field service. On February 1, 2022, the Africa Mercy returned to Dakar, Senegal, with the goal of providing surgery to approximately 950 patients whose surgeries were delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In February 2024, following a period of extensive refit and maintenance in South Africa, the Africa Mercy arrived into the port of Toamasina, Madagascar, to begin her next field service. , Africa Mercy is moored in Madagascar. The Global Mercy is the organization's first purpose-built hospital ship and is the largest civilian hospital ship in the world, at long.
Funding
Mercy Ships is an international charity-based non-governmental organization the organization is funded by donations. The organization treats all patients free of charge without regard to their religion, race, or gender.
Its volunteers have provided services and materials valued at over $1.85 billion. Mercy Ships has delivered services to more than 2.87 million direct beneficiaries and Mercy Ships volunteers have performed more than 117,000 free surgical procedures, such as cleft lip and palate, cataract removal, burn contracture release, and orthopedic and facial reconstruction.
Mercy Ships is a Better Business Bureau accredited charity.
Madagascar
Mercy Ships has conducted multiple medical missions in Madagascar since 1996, providing free surgeries and healthcare training. Major field services in 2014-2016 and 2024-2025 focused on surgical care, medical capacity-building, and hospital partnerships. Working with the Malagasy government, Mercy Ships aimed to improve medical access and infrastructure.
, Africa Mercy is moored in Madagascar.
The organization's partner in Sierra Leone is the Aberdeen Women's Centre, formerly the Aberdeen West Africa Fistula Center. The Aberdeen Women's Centre is one of the few locations on the African continent offering obstetric fistula repair for women who have been injured during childbirth. Started by Mercy Ships with the Ministry of Health, Addax Foundation and other partners, the Fistula Centre is now operated by the Gloag Foundation.
Benin and Ghana
Before it ceased operations, the Mercy Ship Anastasis docked in Cotonou, Benin and later Tema, Ghana providing medical care. In 2016 Benin reportedly had 1.5 physicians per 10,000 inhabitants, compared to 28 per 10,000 for the United Kingdom and 42 per 10,000 for Germany, according to the World Health Organization.
Capabilities
Medical capabilities
Medical personnel on board the organization's hospital ships provide surgeries and healthcare to treat a wide range of problems, including cleft lip and palate, cataract, bowed legs (genu varum), burns and burn scars, dental problems and obstetric fistula repair for injuries sustained during childbirth. Many of these ailments are extremely severe because patients have had little prior access to medical care.
On the upper decks of the Africa Mercy, as of 2011 the ship had 126 cabins to provide accommodations for more than 400 crew. The ship is equipped with a day care center, an accredited academy for all grades through senior year of high school, a library, a launderette, a shop for groceries and sundries, a restaurant, a gymnasium, and a donated Starbucks cafe. A fleet of 28 vehicles travels with the ship, for use in Mercy Ship's land-based operations.
As of 2026, Global Mercy has six operating theatres and 200 hospital beds, along with rehab facilities. Due to the nature of the ship, positions for surgeons, dentists, and nurses are often readily available, but jobs such as deckhands, carpenters, seamen, teachers, cooks, engineers, machinists, welders, plumbers, videographers, photographers, writers, electricians and agriculturalists are also available. Volunteer crew often serve as blood donors, since there is a high demand for donated blood due to limited space to maintain a blood bank on board.
Fleet
Current fleet
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|+
!Vessel Name
!Built
!Entered service for Mercy Ships
!IMO
!Image
!Notes
|-
|Global Mercy
|2021
|2022
|9726499
|frameless|347x347px
|
|-
|Africa Mercy
|1980
|1999
|7803188
|frameless|250x250px
|
|}
Past fleet
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|+
!Vessel Name
!Built
!Entered service for Mercy Ships
!Left service for Mercy Ships
!IMO
!Image
!Notes
|-
|Anastasis
|1953
|1978
|2007
|5379729
|frameless|195x195px
|Scrapped at the Alang Ship Breaking Yard in 2007
|-
|Good Samaritan (1983 - 1994) Island Mercy (1994 - 2001)
|1961
|1983
|2001
|5276135
|frameless|195x195px
|
|-
|Caribbean Mercy
|1952
|1994
|2006
|5280930
|frameless|195x195px
|Scrapped in 2010
|}