Via Satellite | 03-04-2016

Off the coast of sub-Saharan Africa there is a hospital ship where volunteers have conducted thousands of life-changing, often life-saving surgeries and medical procedures. Operated by Mercy Ships, a nonprofit with teams of professionals from around the world, this vessel uses satellite communications to heal and teach people in areas with limited resources.

Maritime is a big and growing area for satellite communications, but Mercy Ships is not your typical example. Since 1978, the organization has operated between one and three ships, reaching people with medical services and teaching life skills in more than 70 countries. Today, the Texas-based nonprofit uses one ship known as Africa Mercy. Chris Gregg, chief information officer at Mercy Ships, told Via Satellite that satellite technology has played a role on Mercy Ships since its first charity ship, the Anastasis, sailed in the early 1980s, and that the applications for satellite are changing.

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