The world's biggest civilian hospital ship The Global Mercy prepares to set sail to Africa

Mercy Ships staff help Diacko, a patient who travelled 300 miles to have surgery on Africa Mercy in Senegal.

Princes Anne has toured the biggest civilian hospital ship in the world before it sails to Africa on Monday.

The Global Mercy and its crew of medically trained volunteers will change the lives of an estimated 150,000 surgical patients during its life on the ocean waves.

Operated by charity Mercy Ships, the floating hospital will carry specialist staff around the world to provide life-changing care and treatment.

Princess Anne became Patron of Mercy Ships International in 2021 and has a long history of supporting the charity, also backed by Scots tycoon and philanthropist Ann Gloag.

Keith Thomson (second from left) with Princess Anne (far right).

Visiting the new ship in Rotterdam, she said: “It’s an honour to be Patron of Mercy Ships International and part of the celebrations for the very first purpose-built, teaching hospital ship in Mercy Ships’ fleet and family.

“A mixture of volunteers bring brilliant surgery, knowledge and medical skills from countries all over the world but everybody who comes here has a skill and is happy to serve in whatever capacity will help the whole.

“The success Mercy Ships has had training doctors, dentists and medics to carry out the work in the future in their own countries: that is a real legacy.”

Keith Thomson, a retired Scots anaesthetist and a long-term supporter and volunteer with Mercy Ships, was among those to meet the princess in Rotterdam.

He said: “It felt like a real pleasure to meet a member of the royal family. I told her how I had travelled and volunteered 24 times on the ship for over 20 years before I retired in 2014.”

Due to leave the Dutch port tomorrow, the Global Mercy will be the big sister of the organisation’s current hospital ship, the Africa Mercy, and the charity hopes it will be able to double the impact of its work, with the new ship providing treatment, surgery and education as well as training medical teams in Africa. When both ships are in full service, Mercy Ships hopes to perform more than 5,000 surgeries, deliver more than 28,000 dental treatments, and train more than 2,800 medical professionals annually.

Joanne Balaam, chief executive of Mercy Ships UK, said: “We’re delighted that The Princess Royal met key members of our crew and commemorated the launch of our purpose-built hospital ship, the Global Mercy.

Princess Anne visited The Global Mercy in the Netherlands ahead of its launch on Monday.

“Our need for volunteers is now greater than ever, more than 2,600 a year to serve on our two-ship fleet. HRH saw first-hand the role they play in delivering free surgery and supporting local medics and health systems during an earlier visit to the Africa Mercy in Sierra Leone.”

The 570ft Global Mercy has six operating rooms, 200 beds, a laboratory, general outpatient clinics and eye and dental clinics.

The ship can accommodate 950 people when docked, including 641 crew members. The ship also contains training facilities, where Mercy Ships contributes to the sustainable development of local medical care in many countries.