Hospital ships designated for the COVID-19 pandemic

Hospital ships designated for the COVID-19 pandemic have been deployed by navies from several countries to combat the disease. These ships not only provide health services but also help relieve the pressure on civilian hospitals by offloading patients. However, each ship also faces the challenge of battling onboard outbreaks of their own.

As the number of infections has slowed or fallen short of worst-case predictions, many temporary medical facilities, including hospital ships, have gone unused or have been barely used.

One example is the Indonesian Navy's KRI dr. Soeharso, which picked up 188 Indonesian crew members from the cruise ship World Dream in the Durian Strait on 26 February 2020. The crew members were then taken to Sebaru Kecil Islet and placed under quarantine. The ship also evacuated 89 crew members from the Diamond Princess cruise ship.

Despite their initial importance, hospital ships have seen few patients as the pandemic situation has evolved.

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