China's hospital ship brings medical services to South China Sea islands

China’s “Silk Road Ark” hospital ship left Zhanjiang port in China’s Guangdong Province on Wednesday on a medical mission to provide care to Chinese soldiers stationed on islands in the South China Sea.

The ship has 14 clinical departments. China’s second domestically designed and built ocean-going hospital ship in the 10,000-ton class, provides medical aid and transfer for those injured at sea, visits residents and soldiers on China’s islands and carries out international humanitarian medical services, as well as conducting foreign military medical exchanges and cooperation.