Pensioner Volunteers in Africa – Now for the Third Time
72‑year‑old Jørgen Jørgensen has travelled to Durban in South Africa, where he is overseeing the inspection and repair of a former Danish Great Belt ferry, which now serves as a hospital ship in Madagascar.
On Friday 16 January, 72‑year‑old Jørgen Jørgensen flew to Africa once again. Not as chief engineer on the hospital ship Africa Mercy, as he has been twice before, but as an inspector while the ship is in dry dock in the South African port city of Durban.
“I’m here to make sure that all repairs are carried out meticulously, and that the ship is in perfect condition when it returns to Madagascar to help hundreds of patients who otherwise have no access to safe surgery,” the Esbjerg native explains.
The ship must be in top condition
With a twinkle in his eye, Jørgen Jørgensen adds:
“When the ship is fully operational with more than 90 patients receiving treatment, it’s not exactly easy to carry out major repairs.”
And certainly not the dry‑dock operations currently being carried out by 50 shipyard workers in Durban. Dry docking means that the large vessel, which once sailed back and forth across the Great Belt as a Danish ferry, is pulled up onto land. The hull is then inspected and repaired, the shaft and propeller removed, and all bow thrusters thoroughly checked.
“It’s crucial that the ship is in top form when the medical staff are performing their vital work for so many people in need,” emphasises Jørgen Jørgensen.
This year, Africa Mercy expects to operate on around 1,700 patients for tumours, cleft lip and palate, cataracts, and various deformities.
Long experience with ships
A highly competent inspector is now ensuring that everything proceeds correctly in Durban.
Jørgen Jørgensen began his career in 1972 after training at Esbjerg Marine Engineering School. He later worked for Switzer Salvage Enterprise for 10 years, sailing on vessels such as Switzer Jarl and Switzer Garm, which have the exact same B&W Alpha diesel engines as those on Africa Mercy. He then spent 10 years at Vølund, which manufactures steam boilers and district heating boilers, before joining Carl Bro, later acquired by Force Technology in Esbjerg. There he trained as an NDT technician.
“That meant I could carry out various non‑destructive tests on welds, which we used when examining faults on vessels out in the North Sea.”
Later, Jørgen Jørgensen trained as a paint inspector in Norway, after which he inspected coatings on ships in Denmark, Greenland, and Vietnam.
Railway deck replaced
Africa Mercy is the former Great Belt ferry Dronning Ingrid. Its railway deck has been replaced with five operating theatres, two dental clinics, X‑ray facilities, and 90 hospital beds. The ship is one of two hospital vessels operated by the organisation Mercy Ships, which sails along the east and west coasts of Africa. The ships are staffed by more than 1,000 volunteers from 75 nations.
One of them is Jørgen Jørgensen from Esbjerg, who otherwise enjoys his retirement and spends his time doing ceramics at Tobakken in Esbjerg.
Source: Mercy Ships Danmark
