Medical Ship: M/V YWAM PNG
The M/V YWAM PNG, owned and managed by YWAM Medical Ships - Australia & Papua New Guinea, is a small former cruise liner, very suitable to reach remote villages along shallow rivers and equipped to cross uncharted waters. The vessel acts as a mother ship to extend land-based activities.
✔️ Dentistry clinic
✔️ Day procedure unit
✔️ Laboratory
✔️ Shallow draft, able to navigate reefs and rivers
BUILT
1999, Western Australia
FLAG
Cook Islands
FLAG
Cook Islands
ENGINES
2x MTU 12v2000 1,576kW
Fixed props
BREADTH
15 Metres
GROSS TONNAGE
1520
ECONOMICAL SPEED
12.5 Knot
DRAFT
2.1 Metres
PASSENGERS
100 Berths
The Story of M/V YWAM PNG
YWAM Medical Ships first started working in PNG in 2010 with their first ship, the MV Pacific Link (Japanese fishing vessel built in 1979). It soon became obvious that the vessel was too small for the task set before it and that a larger ship with greater capacity to support PNG’s health system was needed.
In 2014, YWAM Medical Ships Australia acquired the MV YWAM PNG, a small cruise liner built in 1999 by Austal. The vessel was refitted into a training and medical ship after a series of developments. It is equipped with a dentistry clinic, day procedure unit, laboratory, four patrol tenders, and accommodation for 130+ volunteers. The vessel acts as a mother ship, that is, a mega-patrol platform supporting extensive land-based activities (multiple patrols running simultaneously).
In this way, the MV YWAM PNG is an innovative tool shared with provincial and district health teams to deliver healthcare services, supplies, and support to rural health workers. The vessel provides access to hundreds of remote villages every year.