HANGZHOU, June 16 (Xinhua) -- The Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) Navy hospital ship "Peace Ark" set sail from a military port in Zhoushan in east China's Zhejiang Province on Sunday morning for Mission Harmony-2024.

During the mission, the ship will visit 13 countries, namely, Seychelles, Tanzania, Madagascar, Mozambique, South Africa, Angola, the Republic of the Congo, Gabon, Cameroon, Benin, Mauritania, Djibouti and Sri Lanka, and provide medical service to local people. It will also make port calls to France and Greece.

This is the 10th Mission Harmony for "Peace Ark" since its commissioning in 2008. The "Peace Ark" will offer free diagnosis and treatment for common and prevalent diseases to local residents, people in Chinese institutions, and overseas Chinese through onboard clinics and dispatched medical teams.

There are over 100 personnel on board the maritime hospital, featuring 17 clinical departments and 5 auxiliary diagnostic departments.

The "Peace Ark" is the first domestically designed and constructed standard ocean-going hospital ship in China. It has visited 45 countries and regions, providing medical services to over 290,000 people.