CSSC Chengxi Shipyard is turning two container ships into floating hospitals.
Work by engineers at the Chinese state-owned shipyard in Jiangyin is nearing completion, ECNS reported.
This type of project has never been tried in China before, according to general manager Zhou Jianxiang.
The ships’ new owner will be a German company specialising in healthcare for the elderly.
The report said the work involves two unnamed feeder ships of 700 teu each, with a length of 130 metres.
Conversion began in July 2020, but progress was slow due to changes made to the original blueprint drawn up by the owner.
Engineers said they had to remove a lot of equipment that had already been installed because of the redesigns.
The floating hospitals will measure 137.5 metres in length when finished, with their gross tonnage rising from 8,000 gt to 12,000 gt.
Each will accommodate 189 medical and support personnel, and 211 patients.
They will be equipped with the latest medical equipment, including computerised tomography scanners, and 120 patient beds.
More decks
At the new owner’s request, workers have added three decks and a helicopter landing platform.
Power and freshwater generators, as well as kitchen and laundry facilities, are also part of the brief.
Zhou said hospital ships are useful in epidemics because they can be quickly sent to coastal regions, offering effective isolation to prevent the spread of disease.
Chengxi is a subsidiary of China State Shipbuilding Corp.
