Africa Mercy departure was devastating, but this big onboard ‘family’ pulled together

Curtailing the Africa Mercy’s assignment in Senegal was a difficult decision.

Captain Taylor Perez said the experience of leaving and going into quarantine in Tenerife brought practical and emotional problems for the crew and medics, particularly those from Africa.

“For me, it started with an obvious concern for the crew,” Perez told TradeWinds, “but the level of concern was similar to having a bad flu outbreak on the ship.”