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Mercy Ships

 

If you are tired of the rat race of offshore / maritime work, here is a wonderful opportunity for you to reach out and help those less fortunate. Mercy Ships has the enormous task of taking care of the medical needs of the poor and poverty stricken of the world.

Mercy Ships ministers to the less fortunate with a fleet of hospital ships. This is made possible by the combined efforts and donations of thousands of us who want to make a difference. Every little bit helps quite a bit!  Mercy Ships brings healing to the poor. Their mission is indeed one of love, charity and hope.

Since 1978, hundreds of maritime volunteers have kept the fleet of Mercy Ships sailing to over 555 ports in 70 nations. More than 100 career maritime professionals serve with Mercy Ships. In partnership with Mercy Ships health care and administrative volunteers, more than 1.7 million people have received life-changing medical and community development services. 

Bosun Eric Thibodeau is one of 50 mariners serving onboard a Mercy Ship currently in West Africa. Thirty-six year old Thibodeau counts his service with Mercy Ships as one of the most fulfilling times of his life. With jobs under his belt as diverse as naval deployment to Kuwait during Operation Desert Storm, work with breakbulk freighters, long distance towing and oil rig supply from Russia to Alaska and being part of a team that raised a section of the Civil War Ship Monitor, he still says that serving with a deck crew from 12 nations is a unique opportunity.

In addition to their maritime jobs, crew members often help on projects in the ports where the Mercy Ships serve. “I met this 27 year old guy teaching a whole school in an abandoned hotel building in Monrovia, Liberia,” reflects Thibodeau. “This one guy, teaching all these kids the best he could in a bombed out, abandoned building. Everything was a mess.” 

Eric formed a friendship with the teacher, and worked with him to build benches, paint new blackboards and clean out debris to create six new classrooms. He bought supplies like chalk, erasers, paper and the like. When the job was done, they wanted to name the school after him. “I told them - don’t do that, just call it the Mercy School. So they did.”

New Hampshire born Thibodeau holds a 1600 GRT Domestic Tonnage OOW (3000 ton ITC) STCW 95 Masters License & certification in GMDSS, ARPA, as well as an AB/unlimited MMD with a Tankerman Assistant endorsement.  He looks forward to transferring to the newest vessel, the Africa Mercy when she comes online early in 2007 for service in Liberia.

With a capacity for 474 crew, six state-of-the-art operating theatres and recovery bed space for 78, the Africa Mercy will be the world’s largest non-governmental hospital ship when completed.  The ship is currently under final stages of refit in A & P Shipyard, Newcastle-on Tyne, England.

Marine Operations for Mercy Ships is headquartered at the Mercy Ships International Operations Center in east Texas where a staff of 12 marine professionals serve in the areas of staffing, procurement, technical and operational aspects for the ships.

Qualified mariners wanting to consider volunteering their time can contact marine@mercyships.org directly. Mercy Ships is especially in need of the following qualified technical crew:

• Marine Engineer Officers
• Mates
• Able Seamen
• Motormen
• Refrigeration Engineers
• Marine Electricians
• Plumbers
• Welders
• Pipefitters
• Electricians

Mercy Ships is the leader in using hospital ships to deliver free world-class health care services to the forgotten poor. Founded in 1978 as a global charity by Don and Deyon Stephens, Mercy Ships brings hope and healing to the poor in developing nations. 

The international crew on each Mercy Ship is made up of volunteer professionals from around the world.  Doctors, dentists, nurses, community developers, teachers, cooks, seamen, engineers, and many others donate their time and skills to the effort. For more information go to www.mercyships.org.

Make a Contribution! Your donation to Mercy Ships will impact the lives of hundreds of thousands in third word countries each and every year. These are people with little or no access to health care, many of whom have given up any hope of ever being well.

Any donation you can make will be greatly appreciated!

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Contact Information

Internationally:  Diane Rickard, Director of Media Relations, Mercy Ships rickardd@mercyships.org;

USA: Pauline Rick, US Media Liaison, Mercy Ships rickp@mercyships.org

Photos and video clips available at www.mercyshipsnewsroom.org

For Recruitment or Marine procurement queries: Marine@mercyships.org Tel: 1 (903) 939 -7000

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