Feasibility study of a hospital ship for disaster assistance

Foreign Disaster Assistance (OFDA) disaster response objectives, and to assess the feasibility of using such a ship to respond to emergencies such as the food and health needs in the Horn of Africa. This feasibility study was specifically designed to (1) assess the cost of repairing and refitting the Life International ship, USS Sanctuary, as a hospital ship with modern medical equipment; (2) determine the cost of manning and operating the hospital ship; and (3) determine if Life International"s ship is a cost-effective method for meeting OFDA"s disaster response objectives. The American Bureau of Shipping (ABS) ship-condition survey (conducted as part of this feasibility study), as well as the independent assessment obtained by Life International from shipbuilding and dry-dock companies, indicate that the USS Sanctuary requires significant repair and retrofitting. It is estimated that repairing and refurbishing of the ship will take between one and a half to two years. Repairing and refitting the Sanctuary to make her seaworthy and meet Coast Guard safety standards and marine pollution international treaties will cost between $18 and $20 million. Modernizing the hospital"s medical equipment will cost approximately an additional $2.5 to $3 million. Life International has estimated that it will cost about $8.5 million per year to operate the ship. However, the incremental cost of operating and maintaining the ship"s three helicopters and its mobile self-propelled clinics will push the yearly operating cost to over $10 million. After interviewing U.S. private volunteer organizations (PVOs) such as Project Hope, Mercy Ships, West Park Children"s Fund, Esparanza and Life International, and the U.S. Navy, this study concludes that a hospital ship does not offer any comparative advantage for disaster assistance. Most hospital ships plan their itinerary a year and half in advance. Because of the time required to disengage from prior commitments and the slower speed of a ship, the response time for disaster mitigation will be slower than the standard response mechanism utilized by OFDA. (Author abstract)