Chinese Navy's 10,000-ton hospital ship goes to South China Sea for first mission
The 10,000-ton new ship "Silk Road Ark" hospital ship of the Southern Theater Command of China went to the South China Sea on Wednesday (July 10, 2024) to start the first medical service since it was commissioned.
According to a report from the Southern Theater Command of China on Thursday (July 11, 2024), the "Silk Road Ark" set sail from a military port in Zhanjiang, Guangdong, and headed for the islands and reefs along the coast of South China, starting the first medical service since it was commissioned. The hospital ship is mainly responsible for the medical rescue and evacuation of the wounded at sea during wartime, and usually provides medical visits to residents of islands and reefs and officers and soldiers of the troops, and performs tasks such as international humanitarian medical services, emergency medical rescue for major disasters, and foreign military medical exchanges and cooperation.
The medical force carried by the hospital ship for this visit is mainly composed of elite medical staff from the First Naval Hospital of the Southern Theater Command. The General Hospital of the People's Liberation Army, the General Hospital of the Southern Theater Command, and the Naval Medical University also sent corresponding medical forces to carry out relevant diagnosis and treatment services on board.
According to China Central Television News, the destinations of the "Silk Road Ark" hospital ship include Gan Islands, Yongshu Reef, Yongxing Island and other islands and reefs in the Southwest and South China coasts. The "Silk Road Ark" carries medical team members, cultural backbones, and legal experts on this trip. It will conduct medical rounds according to the established route, and simultaneously carry out drills for the treatment of casualties at sea and assist in after-sales service. Among them, the medical force carrying out the mission is mainly the First Naval Hospital of the Southern Theater Command. The PLA General Hospital, the Southern Theater Command General Hospital, and the Naval Medical University have also sent medical forces to provide diagnosis and treatment services on board.