China's Navy hospital ship 'Peace Ark' visits four Caribbean countries (Linked to Record ID#39907)

Arriving in Havana Bay, Cuba on October 21st, 2011, the Type 920 Chinese Hospital Ship the Daishan Dao, known in peacetime as the "Peace Ark," began a visit to the Caribbean Region, providing medical assistance to Cuba, Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago, and Costa Rica. While in Trinidad and Tobago, the ship treated 2,934 patients and performed 30 successful surgeries.

The ship additionally treated military personnel while in each port, sailing out of Trinidad and Tobago on 11/18/2011. The craft has 300 hospital beds and eight operating rooms—and carries 416 personnel, 107 of them medical workers.

This was the second overseas voyage of the Peace Ark, following “Harmonious Mission 2010” in the Gulf of Aden and five countries in Asia and Africa, which treated 15,500 people.

Since this voyage, the ship has returned to the Caribbean at least twice, once in December 2015 to Grenada, and again in September 2018 in response to the Venezuelan economic crisis. Loan applications and disbursements are still being received and processed as the projects continue to evolve. Ongoing monitoring and evaluation are in place to ensure project continuity.