Chinese Naval Hospital Ship Peace Ark Concludes Historic Mission Harmony-2024

The Chinese naval hospital ship Peace Ark has successfully completed its Mission Harmony-2024. Departing on June 16, 2024, the vessel embarked on a journey that saw it navigate more than 30,000 nautical miles over a span of 215 days. Its itinerary included visits to 13 countries, with groundbreaking stops in Benin and Mauritania, and technical halts in Algeria and Singapore, marking new records in both mission duration and number of visited nations.

Upon its return to a military port in Zhoushan, East China's Zhejiang Province, leaders from the People’s Liberation Army Eastern Theater Command, representatives from the Naval Medical University, and the families of the participating officers and soldiers were present to welcome the ship. The mission was a significant diplomatic and humanitarian endeavor, with medical teams providing on-board consultations and deploying detachments to offer treatments for common and complex ailments to local communities, Chinese organization personnel, overseas Chinese, and others.

Throughout the mission, an impressive tally of 82,980 individuals received treatment, which included 733 comprehensive examinations, 274 hospital admissions, and 1,392 surgeries. Notably, the expedition recorded 38,460 auxiliary examinations, performed 204 cataract surgeries, and even welcomed the arrival of four newborns. In addition to its medical operations, the crew engaged in professional seminars, cultural exchanges, sports activities, and hosted over 4,800 visitors in 150 separate groups, earning high praise for the dedication and expertise of the Chinese military doctors from the governments and people of the countries visited.