A shipyard in Jiangyin, a coastal city in Jiangsu province, have been working on converting containerships into hospital ships, reports Beijing's China Daily.
The project involving two container vessels is now nearing completion, and the converted ships are expected to be delivered to their owner, a German elderly healthcare company, in the coming autumn, said Zhou Jianxiang, general manager of CSSC Chengxi Shipyard in Jiangyin.
Work of each 130-metre long 700-TEU ship started in July 2020. However, progress was slow due to drastic and frequent changes made to the original conversion plan by the shipowner.
This led to difficulties in meeting the project schedule and finalising specific designs. Moreover, workers at the shipyard had to remove a great deal of apparatus that had already been installed.
Each of the converted vessels will be able to accommodate 189 medical and support personnel and cater to 211 patients. Each ship will be equipped with advanced medical equipment, including computerised tomography scanners, and 120 patient beds, he said.
In accordance with the shipowner's requirement, engineers have installed three extra decks and a helicopter landing platform. A number of equipment such as power generators, fresh water generators, kitchen hardware and laundry facilities have also been fitted.
Mr Zhou noted that this is the first time that any Chinese shipyard has carried out the task of converting container ships into floating hospitals.
The manager said that hospital ships are of great help in the event of epidemics because they can be rapidly deployed to coastal regions and can ensure effective isolation to prevent the spread of infectious diseases.
Established in 1973, CSSC Chengxi Shipyard is well known for its expertise in repairing and converting ships. It is also one of the nation's major builders of commercial ships such as freighters and oil tankers.
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The project involving two container vessels is now nearing completion, and the converted ships are expected to be delivered to their owner, a German elderly healthcare company, in the coming autumn, said Zhou Jianxiang, general manager of CSSC Chengxi Shipyard in Jiangyin.
Work of each 130-metre long 700-TEU ship started in July 2020. However, progress was slow due to drastic and frequent changes made to the original conversion plan by the shipowner.
This led to difficulties in meeting the project schedule and finalising specific designs. Moreover, workers at the shipyard had to remove a great deal of apparatus that had already been installed.
Each of the converted vessels will be able to accommodate 189 medical and support personnel and cater to 211 patients. Each ship will be equipped with advanced medical equipment, including computerised tomography scanners, and 120 patient beds, he said.
In accordance with the shipowner's requirement, engineers have installed three extra decks and a helicopter landing platform. A number of equipment such as power generators, fresh water generators, kitchen hardware and laundry facilities have also been fitted.
Mr Zhou noted that this is the first time that any Chinese shipyard has carried out the task of converting container ships into floating hospitals.
The manager said that hospital ships are of great help in the event of epidemics because they can be rapidly deployed to coastal regions and can ensure effective isolation to prevent the spread of infectious diseases.
Established in 1973, CSSC Chengxi Shipyard is well known for its expertise in repairing and converting ships. It is also one of the nation's major builders of commercial ships such as freighters and oil tankers.
SeaNews Turkey
