Ship Life & Traditions

The ship has a very limited number of family cabins available and therefore they must be allocated to crew that can work full-time in a critical position onboard. When we accept any family, we expect one of the parents to work full-time while the other parent’s main responsibility would be to take care of their children when they are not in school. This would not work in the case of the single-parent family, as their time would have to be split between their parental and ship duties and therefore would prevent the crewmember from working full-time.

We have over 60 beds for children, with children between the ages of 1 and 18 living on board the Africa Mercy during the school year. The Global Mercy has a larger capacity for children, and combined we will have over 170 beds available for children!

Living on a Mercy Ship gives children the opportunity to experience many new cultures and nationalities, particularly if they choose to join the family in interacting with those we come to serve. The Academy offers a fantastic ACSI-accredited Christian international school with small classes and excellent academics. There are many positive role models serving onboard for children to interact with and learn from.

 Many of our families treasure the quality time they spend together every day, sharing meals, and having friends around all the time!

Mercy Ships values all children and believes they play a vital role in our community. The primary reason missionaries leave the mission field is because their environment is not able to meet the educational needs of their children. We believe that a family’s successful service with Mercy Ships should never come at the cost of their children’s education. The Mercy Ships Academy exists to …”provide an exceptional biblically-based education for crewmembers’ children, inspiring them to truly follow Jesus.“

Mercy Ships wants to see a healthy, thriving community that enables families to serve long-term with us. Crew longevity is a challenge for Mercy Ships, so having a school stabilizes the community and allows managers and leaders to serve in their roles as long as they wish.

Students living onboard a Mercy Ship have the unique opportunity to access a whole kaleidoscope of information and experiences firsthand. This includes experiencing different cultures in Europe and Africa as well as witnessing various socioeconomic conditions. Children are encouraged to take advantage of educational field trips, which are offered at all ports. In Africa, there are opportunities for staff and students to participate in various ministries, such as serving in local orphanages and on the ships’ hospital wards.

The ratio of one teacher to six students creates an excellent environment for the students to receive individual attention and to go into greater depth with their studies. The entire school staff is committed to the spiritual, emotional, and academic growth of all students in the Academy.

The all-around education onboard offers not only a high standard of academic excellence, but also equips students to develop character and maturity as they encounter and interact with various cultures.

“A third culture kid is a person who has spent a significant part of his or her developmental years outside their parents’ culture. The third culture kid builds relationships to all the cultures, while not having full ownership in any. Although elements from each culture are assimilated into the third culture kid’s life experience, the sense of belonging is in relationship to others of the same background, other TCKs.”

Ruth Van Reken, Third Culture Kids: Growing Up Among Worlds.

Many families use this time to leave the ship, visit family, work on support raising, etc. The Academy’s summer holiday typically coincides with the ship’s maintenance period/dry dock period.

Depending on the location, there are typically places to visit ashore, like parks or local hotels with pool facilities. There are often a few local beaches, however, some are not safe for swimming. Crew onboard the ships often arrange group activities, including days out to different local places of interest such as markets and nice restaurants. The Africa Mercy houses a small swimming pool onboard as well as plenty of space on other decks to play. There is also an Internet Café and a well-stocked library of books and DVDs.

The cabins vary in size (6-berth and 4-berth) according to how many members are in your family. Your accommodations will also differ depending on which ship you are serving. A few of the family cabins on the Africa Mercy have a sofa bed for the parents. Each cabin features its own bathroom and kitchenette as well as ample storage space. The Global Mercy will have a greater number of accommodations and the ability to house larger families.

On the whole, the ship is a safe and family-friendly environment. There are some guidelines for children’s protection, and of course, parents are ultimately responsible for their children. Younger children (under 10) must be supervised at all times, and cannot wander around the ship without an adult. There are rules on food service, for example, and general safety rules that all crew are expected to follow.

The ship has a very limited number of family cabins available and therefore they must be allocated to crew that can work full-time in a critical position onboard. When we accept any family, we expect one of the parents to work full-time while the other parent’s main responsibility would be to take care of their children when they are not in school. This would not work in the case of the single-parent family, as their time would have to be split between their parental and ship duties and therefore would prevent the crewmember from working full-time.

We have over 60 beds for children, with children between the ages of 1 and 18 living on board the Africa Mercy during the school year. The Global Mercy has a larger capacity for children, and combined we will have over 170 beds available for children!

Living on a Mercy Ship gives children the opportunity to experience many new cultures and nationalities, particularly if they choose to join the family in interacting with those we come to serve. The Academy offers a fantastic ACSI-accredited Christian international school with small classes and excellent academics. There are many positive role models serving onboard for children to interact with and learn from.

 Many of our families treasure the quality time they spend together every day, sharing meals, and having friends around all the time!

Mercy Ships values all children and believes they play a vital role in our community. The primary reason missionaries leave the mission field is because their environment is not able to meet the educational needs of their children. We believe that a family’s successful service with Mercy Ships should never come at the cost of their children’s education. The Mercy Ships Academy exists to …”provide an exceptional biblically-based education for crewmembers’ children, inspiring them to truly follow Jesus.“

Mercy Ships wants to see a healthy, thriving community that enables families to serve long-term with us. Crew longevity is a challenge for Mercy Ships, so having a school stabilizes the community and allows managers and leaders to serve in their roles as long as they wish.

Students living onboard a Mercy Ship have the unique opportunity to access a whole kaleidoscope of information and experiences firsthand. This includes experiencing different cultures in Europe and Africa as well as witnessing various socioeconomic conditions. Children are encouraged to take advantage of educational field trips, which are offered at all ports. In Africa, there are opportunities for staff and students to participate in various ministries, such as serving in local orphanages and on the ships’ hospital wards.

The ratio of one teacher to six students creates an excellent environment for the students to receive individual attention and to go into greater depth with their studies. The entire school staff is committed to the spiritual, emotional, and academic growth of all students in the Academy.

The all-around education onboard offers not only a high standard of academic excellence, but also equips students to develop character and maturity as they encounter and interact with various cultures.

“A third culture kid is a person who has spent a significant part of his or her developmental years outside their parents’ culture. The third culture kid builds relationships to all the cultures, while not having full ownership in any. Although elements from each culture are assimilated into the third culture kid’s life experience, the sense of belonging is in relationship to others of the same background, other TCKs.”

Ruth Van Reken, Third Culture Kids: Growing Up Among Worlds.

Many families use this time to leave the ship, visit family, work on support raising, etc. The Academy’s summer holiday typically coincides with the ship’s maintenance period/dry dock period.

Depending on the location, there are typically places to visit ashore, like parks or local hotels with pool facilities. There are often a few local beaches, however, some are not safe for swimming. Crew onboard the ships often arrange group activities, including days out to different local places of interest such as markets and nice restaurants. The Africa Mercy houses a small swimming pool onboard as well as plenty of space on other decks to play. There is also an Internet Café and a well-stocked library of books and DVDs.

The cabins vary in size (6-berth and 4-berth) according to how many members are in your family. Your accommodations will also differ depending on which ship you are serving. A few of the family cabins on the Africa Mercy have a sofa bed for the parents. Each cabin features its own bathroom and kitchenette as well as ample storage space. The Global Mercy will have a greater number of accommodations and the ability to house larger families.

On the whole, the ship is a safe and family-friendly environment. There are some guidelines for children’s protection, and of course, parents are ultimately responsible for their children. Younger children (under 10) must be supervised at all times, and cannot wander around the ship without an adult. There are rules on food service, for example, and general safety rules that all crew are expected to follow.