Monkey Bay News

The 'Chauncy Maples' is being renovated to bring health care to one of the poorest communites in the world, Malawi. Members of the Chauncy Maples team recently took a trip to Malawi and visited remote villages, watched welders at work on the ship in Monkey Bay and made a pilgrimage to the final resting place of Bishop Chauncy Maples, in Nkhotakota. Moored on Lake Malawi, the steamer Chauncy Maples, was built in Glasgow in 1899. Designed as a clinic ship, she has not sailed for a decade. This project plans to renovate her as a floating clinic.

The 'Chauncy Maples' project aims to bring health care to Lake Malawi's poor by renovating Africa's oldest motor ship. The charitable trust announce the purchase of a reconditioned Grove crane with 25 ton lifting capacity to lift the engine, generators, fuel and freshwater tanks into the hull. It will soon be on its way to Monkey Bay from Durban. Ross Girdler, the project manager, conveys his thanks to the Ministry of Finance and Malawi Revenue Authority for all their help and support now that essential goods and equipment are starting to be shipped into Malawi, exempt from duty and taxes.