After concluding its visit to the city of Rio de Janeiro (Brazil), the Type 920 hospital ship Ark Silk Road of the People’s Liberation Army Navy of China arrived at the Port of Montevideo (Uruguay) to carry out a technical stopover between January 20 and 24. Its presence is part of the humanitarian mission Harmony-2025, which marks the vessel’s first South American tour, aimed at strengthening medical and diplomatic cooperation between China and the countries of the region.
During its stay in Brazil, the Ark Silk Road carried out a health cooperation agenda together with the Brazilian Navy, providing free medical services to the local population. Likewise, joint activities were conducted with the Marcílio Dias Naval Hospital and the force’s Operational Medical Center, in addition to academic exchanges and a combined combat rescue demonstration. These actions reinforced the practical and operational component of the mission, consolidating the projection of Chinese medical diplomacy in the region.
It should be noted that in Uruguay the presence of the Ark Silk Road is strictly limited to a technical stopover. Authorization for the vessel’s entry into Uruguayan jurisdictional waters was granted by the Senate and the Chamber of Representatives, allowing a technical stop during its transit through the South Atlantic. On board are its 378 crew members, including doctors, nurses, and technicians belonging to the Southern Theater Command of the Chinese Navy. All of them are part of the ship’s permanent complement and actively participate in the humanitarian operations carried out by the fleet in different parts of the world.
The “Ark of the Silk Road” (translation of Ark Silk Road) departed in 2025 from the port of Quanzhou, in Fujian Province, as part of a healthcare assistance and international diplomacy operation. Throughout its extensive itinerary, it has called at Nauru, Fiji, Tonga, Mexico, Nicaragua, Jamaica, and Barbados, providing thousands of medical consultations and procedures.
As planned, the stay in Montevideo will allow the Ark Silk Road to carry out resupply and maintenance tasks before continuing its route to Valparaíso, Chile, where it will conclude its South American deployment. The Harmony-2025 mission represents one of the largest-scale humanitarian operations conducted by the Chinese Navy on the American continent, reaffirming its role as a global actor in medical cooperation and humanitarian assistance.
With a displacement of 14,000 tons, this Type 920 hospital ship features 14 clinical departments, 7 diagnostic units, 8 operating rooms, and capacity for 300 beds, including 20 intensive care beds. It is equipped to perform between 40 and 60 surgeries per day and operates a Z-8JH helicopter for medical evacuation missions.
Image credits: National Ports Administration of Uruguay – Chinese Navy.
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