Jorgen Andreasen volunteers as captain of the Africa Mercy
A hospital ship only reaches its patients if someone can navigate it there and keep it running once it arrives.
Roughly half the crew of a hospital ship never sets foot in the hospital.
A master mariner from Denmark
Jorgen Andreasen came to Mercy Ships from a career at sea. Commanding the Africa Mercy means the same responsibilities as any merchant vessel - navigation, safety, port clearance, flag state and class requirements - with a working hospital and several hundred people living on board.
What the deck and engine crews make possible
The operating rooms need uninterrupted power, clean water, medical gases, air conditioning and functioning sterilisation. Every one of those depends on marine engineers and technicians rather than on clinicians.
When a ship is alongside for months at a time, that infrastructure has to be maintained continuously, not just kept running.
Maritime professionals are recruited, not incidental
Deck officers, engineers, electricians, plumbers and technicians are among the roles Mercy Ships recruits most consistently. Seagoing experience transfers directly, and the qualifications are the same ones the industry already recognises.