The ship was launched in 2007 with the stated intention of giving China a platform to provide a better means to providing quicker humanitarian response to disasters around the world, but others contend it also allows China to extend the navy's blue water capabilities.[citation needed]
Peace Ark is primarily engaged in China's international humanitarian medical relief efforts, known as "Mission Harmony."
Mission Harmony-2010
On 1 September 2010, the hospital ship embarked on a three-month Mission Harmony-2010 to the Gulf of Aden with a total of 428 officers including 100 medical workers. Peace Ark visits Djibouti, Kenya, Tanzania, the Seychelles and Bangladesh. It provides medical services to 17,345 outpatients and performs 97 surgeries.[6]
Mission Harmony-2011
After sailing across the Pacific Ocean and passing through the Panama Canal, the ship arrives in the Caribbean, where it visits Cuba, Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago, and Costa Rica. It provides outpatient services for 11,446 people and 118 surgeries are performed.[6]
Peace Ark also participated as part of the Chinese contribution to Exercise RIMPAC 2014 in addition to the United States hospital ship USNS Mercy.[8]
Mission Harmony-2014
After the Rim of the Pacific 2014 exercise ended on August 3, the Peace Ark hospital ship immediately switched to the Mission Harmony-2014.Peace Ark visits Tonga, Fiji, Vanuatu and Papua New Guinea, where it provides medical services to 22,456 people and 212 surgeries are performed.[6]
Mission Harmony-2015
During Mission Harmony-2015, Peace Ark visited Australia, Barbados, French Polynesia, Grenada, Mexico, Peru, and the United States. It provides medical services and physical examinations for 17,838 people and performs 59 surgeries.Timeline 2010--2019
On August 9, 2018, the Chinese Navy Peace Ark hospital ship left the port of Suva, ending its 8-day visit to Fiji.[11]
On September 22, 2018, it arrived at the port of La Guaira and began an 8-day visit to Venezuela. [12]
On November 15, 2018, it arrived at the port of Guayaquil for an 8-day visit to Ecuador.[13]
On December 8, 2018, the visit to Chile ended and the ship left the port of Valparaiso to return home.
On January 18, 2019, the Navy Peace Ark hospital ship, which completed Mission Harmony-2018, arrived at the military port of Zhoushan. The mission lasted 205 days, with a total voyage of 31,800 nautical miles.[14] On December 29, 2018, the Navy awarded the Peace Ark hospital ship a collective first-class merit. During the visit, a total of 50,884 people were diagnosed and treated, 26,231 people were assisted in examinations, 288 surgeries were performed, more than 20 joint emergency medical rescue drills, academic exchanges, and cultural exchanges were held with foreign parties, and multiple teams were sent to local hospitals, communities, military camps, etc. to carry out diagnosis and treatment services and environmental disinfection.[6]
Mission Harmony-2022
On November 2, 2022, the Chinese Navy's Peace Ark hospital ship set sail from a military port in Zhoushan, Zhejiang, for Mission Harmony-2022, visiting Indonesia and planning to provide medical services in Jakarta for 7 days. The ship's maritime hospital is composed of 111 medical staff drawn from the Naval Medical University, with a total of 14 clinical departments, 3 auxiliary departments and a pharmacy, and carries a ship-borne rescue helicopter. On the morning of November 29, 2022, the Chinese Navy's Peace Ark hospital ship successfully completed the "Mission Harmony-2022" mission and returned to China.[15]
Mission Harmony-2023
On July 3, 2023, the Chinese Navy's Peace Ark hospital ship set sail from a military port in Zhoushan, Zhejiang, to carry out Mission Harmony-2023. It will pay friendly visits to five countries, namely Kiribati, Tonga, Vanuatu, Solomon Islands and Timor-Leste, and provide humanitarian medical services.[16]
From July 15 to 22, it visited Kiribati, providing medical services to local people and overseas Chinese. The main platform treated 5,095 patients, performed 20 surgeries, and conducted 94 health examinations. It also actively carried out health education activities. During the period, the hospital ship's medical staff delivered a baby for local people. Kiribati President Maamau personally named it "Akendari", which means "Peace Ark" in Kiribati. The hospital ship also sent 7 medical teams totaling 46 people to conduct medical rounds in local hospitals, communities, elderly associations and outer islands, serving 1,538 local people.[17] On August 4, the visit and medical services to Tonga ended.[18] On August 8, the PLA arrived in Port Vila, Vanuatu, and began a 7-day visit and provided humanitarian medical services.[19]On August 19, the PLA arrived in Honiara, the capital of the Solomon Islands.
On September 3, the PLA began a 7-day visit and humanitarian medical services to Timor-Leste.In September, the PLA Navy's Peace Ark hospital ship returned to a military port in Zhoushan after successfully completing Mission Harmony-2023. The mission lasted 79 days, with a total voyage of more than 12,000 nautical miles, and treated 41,358 people from various countries.[20]
As of June 2024, the Peace Ark hospital ship has traveled abroad 11 times, sailed more than 280,000 nautical miles, served 45 countries and regions, provided medical services to more than 290,000 people, and performed more than 1,400 surgeries.[21]
Characteristics
Daishan Dao is the sole ship of its class, and is assigned pennant number 866. She is assigned to the South Sea Fleet and based out of Zhoushan in Zhejiang province. She has a capacity of 300 beds, 20 ICU beds, 8 operating theatres, and can perform 40 major surgeries a day, in addition to X-ray, ultrasound, CT, hypothermia, hemodialysis, traditional Chinese medicine, and dental facilities.[8][22] She is also equipped with a remote networking and communications system to allow teleconferencing with doctors and specialists on land.[8]
In accordance with the Geneva Conventions, Daishan Dao and her crew do not carry any offensive weapons, while the ship is painted white with red crosses to mark her as a hospital ship.[8]
Gallery
Peace Ark during Rim of the Pacific 2016.
The computerized tomography (CT) scan aboard the Peace Ark
Similar vessels
Peace Ark (front) and USNS Mercy sailing side by side.
832 Nanyun and 833 Nankang - two Nankang-class hospital ship are 2150-ton modified Qiongsha class attack transport ships built in the 1980s and similar size to small passenger ships; has a helipad at the stern; built in Guangzhou and remains in service in the South Sea Fleet
Y832 (Bei Kang) and Y834 (Dong Kang) - stationed at North Sea Fleet and East Sea Fleet
82 Shichang - 9 500 ton part-time hospital ship built in 1997 as multi-role aviation training ship and can be reclassified as hospital ship/defense mobilization ship with modular units added; deck space can accommodate modular units for treatment centre and wards; supports two helipads
865 Zhuanghe - (approximately 30,000 ton) converted container ship with 14 modular medical units, heli pad and control tower; likely based at Sanya, Hainan Island
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