YWAM Medical Ships first started working in PNG in 2010 with their first ship, the MV Pacific Link (Japanese fishing vessel built in 1979). It soon became obvious that the vessel was too small for the task set before it and that a larger ship with greater capacity to support PNG’s health system was needed.

In 2014, YWAM Medical Ships Australia acquired the MV YWAM PNG, a small cruise liner built in 1999 by Austal. The vessel was refitted into a training and medical ship after a series of developments. It is equipped with a dentistry clinic, day procedure unit, laboratory, four patrol tenders, and accommodation for 130+ volunteers. The vessel acts as a mother ship, that is, a mega-patrol platform supporting extensive land-based activities (multiple patrols running simultaneously).

In this way, the MV YWAM PNG is an innovative tool shared with provincial and district health teams to deliver healthcare services, supplies, and support to rural health workers. The vessel provides access to hundreds of remote villages every year.