As part of its first tour of South America under the humanitarian mission “Harmony-2025,” one of the Chinese Navy’s Type 920 hospital ships, the Silk Road Ark, arrived in the city of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The voyage, which began in 2025 after departing from the port of Quanzhou in Fujian Province, is part of a broader medical and diplomatic operation that will also include visits to Chile and Uruguay.
During its visit to Brazil, the Silk Road Ark will remain in Rio de Janeiro from January 8 to 15, carrying out an extensive schedule of medical cooperation and joint activities with the Brazilian Navy. In addition to providing free medical services to the local population, the ship will be open to the public and will dispatch teams of specialists to the Marcílio Dias Naval Hospital and the Brazilian Navy’s Operational Medical Center for professional exchanges. Likewise, representatives from Brazil’s Naval Health Department will visit the Chinese hospital ship, participating in academic exchange activities and a joint combat casualty rescue demonstration aboard the vessel.
The hospital ship arrives in South America with the mission of providing free medical assistance and promoting health cooperation between China and the countries visited. Prior to its arrival in the region, the ship called at Nauru, Fiji, Tonga, Mexico, Nicaragua, Jamaica, and Barbados, where its crew of 378 personnel—comprising doctors, nurses, and technicians from the Chinese Navy’s Southern Theater Command—conducted extensive humanitarian work. During its stop in Jamaica, for example, 7,536 medical consultations, 715 surgical procedures, and 50 hospitalizations were recorded, figures that marked a record for the vessel during a single port call.
Subsequently, the hospital ship will continue its journey to the port of Montevideo, where it will conduct a technical stopover between January 20 and 24, 2026, authorized by Uruguay’s Executive Branch. During its stay in the Uruguayan capital, it will offer free medical care, specialized consultations, and professional exchanges with local healthcare personnel. Finally, the vessel will proceed to Chile, with a planned visit to the port of Valparaíso to conclude its regional tour.
The Silk Road Ark is the second ocean-going Type 920 hospital ship. With a displacement of 14,000 tons, it features 14 clinical departments, seven auxiliary diagnostic units, eight operating rooms, and a total capacity of 300 beds, including 20 for intensive care. This is complemented by modern medical equipment that enables the performance of between 40 and 60 surgeries per day, as well as X-ray, CT scan, ultrasound, hemodialysis, and traditional Chinese medicine treatments. At the stern, the ship is equipped with a flight deck and hangar for a Z-8JH helicopter, used for medical evacuations.
The presence of the Silk Road Ark in Latin American waters underscores China’s growing role in global medical and humanitarian diplomacy. Through its participation in the Harmony-2025 mission, the Chinese Navy seeks to strengthen cooperative ties with South American countries by providing healthcare resources, professional assistance, and community support.
You may be interested in: U.S. warns that the Chinese Navy could field a fleet of nine aircraft carriers by 2035
