A marine pilot has explained why he decided to take his children out of school for a year and move to Sierra Leone to help provide “life-changing” surgery in one of the poorest countries in the world.

Ian Lawrence upped and left his Southampton home and has spent the past year volunteering as a captain onboard the world’s largest non-governmental hospital ship, the Global Mercy.

The 174-metre-long boat is a mobile hospital with six operating rooms and a hospital deck with 200 beds, providing medical care for those who do not have access to it in the country's capital, Freetown.

The Global Mercy, positioned on the right.The Global Mercy, positioned on the right. (Image: Mercy Ships) This can be “life-changing” surgeries for local people, such as removing tumours or performing orthopaedic surgery with children to fix bowed legs or joints that did not form correctly.

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Ian, who usually works for ABP as a marine pilot, spoke of the logistics required to take his wife and children on board the Global Mercy and volunteer as a family for a year.

“My wife runs a skin aesthetics business, so she had to put that on pause,” he said.

“The children have taken a year out of school and continue their education here at the academy on board the ship.

“I’m a career seafarer so before becoming a pilot you spend a large chunk of your career at sea. I met my wife on a cruise ship so we’re both former seafarers, and although we’ve spent the last 12 years working ashore, we were ready to go back out.”

Ian and his family celebrating Christmas on board the Global Mercy.Ian and his family celebrating Christmas on board the Global Mercy. (Image: Mercy Ships) Ian is not a medical professional, but the Global Mercy is an ocean-going ship which needs experienced staff.

“My job here is to lead the marine operation on the ship, keep the ship functioning and work with the guys to keep the lights on, engines running,” he said.

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Ian said that this is the first time he has worked as a captain on a ship while having his family nearby.

Ian standing in the ship's school academy.Ian, with his son, standing in the ship's school academy. (Image: Mercy Ships) He explained: “When you’re out at sea, you don’t usually have your family, and you get things done no matter how many hours in a day it takes.

“But everyone understands those pressures. There’s time where it’s more important for me to be captain than it is to be dad, and vice versa.

“There’s a really strong community on board that supports us when we need it."