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Hospital ship built in Manaus expands the Navy’s presence in Amazonian riverine health, with facilities for consultations, exams, procedures, and extended missions in riverside communities where access to specialized services depends directly on the rivers.
The Hospital Assistance Ship NAsH “Anna Nery”, built at the Bibi Shipyard in Manaus, arrived in Belém to strengthen the medical care provided by the Brazilian Navy to riverside communities in the Eastern Amazon, according to the Navy News Agency, in a publication dated June 22, 2026.
With an operational base planned in the capital of Pará, the vessel is expected to operate in regions where access to health services depends on the rivers and where traveling to medical units usually requires long, expensive trips or is conditioned by navigation.
According to the Navy, the ship was designed to offer specialized medium-complexity care in remote areas, with an expectation of performing more than 40,000 consultations per year in communities of the Eastern Amazon.
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Among the locations planned for operation are the Amazon, Tocantins, Xingu, and Tapajós rivers, as well as municipalities of the Marajó Archipelago, a region where river transport remains an essential means for the movement of residents.
Hospital ship Anna Nery strengthens care in the Eastern Amazon
The arrival of the “Anna Nery” expands the Navy’s hospital assistance structure in the area under the responsibility of the 4th Naval District Command, which coordinates missions aimed at riverside populations and communities with difficult access.
Designed to navigate Amazonian rivers, the ship can reach locations where the distance from hospitals and the dependence on boat transport hinder regular access to consultations, exams, and health procedures.
With a draft of about 2.4 meters, the vessel can operate in shallow sections, a relevant feature for missions in isolated areas where larger ships face operational limitations.
This capability, according to the Navy, expands the reach of assistance actions in riverside communities and allows the onboard hospital structure to advance into areas where land infrastructure is limited or non-existent.
Besides its public health function, the ship also represents a symbolic milestone for the Naval Force, as it is the first in the institution’s recent history to receive a female name.
The tribute refers to nurse Anna Justina Ferreira Nery, recognized for her voluntary work during the War of the Triple Alliance and considered an important figure in the history of Brazilian nursing.
Consultations, exams, and procedures inside the vessel
Inside the “Anna Nery”, the hospital structure includes 25 compartments exclusively for care activities, according to information from the Navy News Agency about the vessel’s configuration.
These spaces include consulting rooms, examination rooms, a clinical analysis laboratory, a pharmacy, a triage area, and inpatient beds, forming a river health unit prepared for different stages of care.
The structure also includes rooms for mammography, X-ray, and ultrasound, as well as an area for invasive procedures and minor surgeries during missions.
Among the planned services are general medicine, pediatrics, gynecology, ophthalmology, and dentistry, services that make the ship a mobile platform to provide specialized assistance to areas with limited availability.
To sustain prolonged operations, the Navy reports that the ship has autonomy for up to 20 days without refueling water and fuel, an important condition for traveling through regions far from major centers.
Medicines and hospital supplies, in turn, can ensure operation for up to 45 days, provided the mission has the necessary logistical support to maintain the onboard structure’s operation.
With this configuration, the “Anna Nery” can remain in transit for longer periods and serve communities where the distance between municipalities, health units, and reference centers imposes barriers to regular care.
Crew and volunteers expand assistance capacity
The ship’s operation will be conducted by 47 military personnel, including seven officers and 40 enlisted personnel, responsible for the vessel’s operation and support for hospital assistance missions in the region.
In addition to the fixed crew, the Navy reports that the “Anna Nery” can accommodate another 21 volunteer professionals, civilian or military, including doctors, nurses, social workers, and specialists from different areas.
This reinforcement allows for increased service capacity during specific actions, especially in communities that concentrate part of the demand for consultations, exams, and procedures during the vessel’s passage.
In river health missions, the presence of additional teams can increase the availability of services and facilitate the care of residents who face difficulties reaching medical units in urban centers.
The commander of the NAsH “Anna Nery,” Corvette Captain Diego Rodrigues, told the Naval News Agency that the ship will enhance the state’s assistance capacity with specialized services in regions with low Human Development Indexes.
According to him, in some communities, state health presence occurs mainly through river routes, which underscores the importance of mobile units prepared to navigate long distances.
The operation is also connected to the “Chance for All” initiative, conducted under the 4th Naval District Command, offering medical, dental care, exams, and free services.
Aimed at riverside communities and populations in remote areas, the action uses the river structure as a way to bring public services closer to residents who depend on rivers for transportation and access to basic rights.
Navy integrates new ship into the river health network
The “Anna Nery” is expected to complement the role of the NAsH “Sargento Lima,” incorporated into the operational sector of the 4th Naval District Command in 2025 and primarily focused on primary health care.
While the “Sargento Lima” addresses more basic demands, the new ship was designed to expand the offer of specialized medium-complexity services in the Eastern Amazon.
Before arriving in Belém, the construction of the vessel was already noted in Navy records related to the river hospital assistance project aimed at serving riverside communities.
The institution’s Naval Construction microsite reports that the ship is 46.5 meters long, 9.4 meters wide, and 2.4 meters deep, dimensions compatible with navigation in Amazonian rivers.
The same record indicates that the acquisition of the ship and medical and outpatient equipment was made possible by agreements signed on December 28, 2020, between the Navy, the National Health Fund, and the Primary Health Care Secretariat.
After a bidding process in Manaus, the construction contract was signed with Estaleiro Bibi Eireli, the company responsible for the vessel that now becomes part of the Navy’s river health network.
In practice, the “Anna Nery” joins a strategy that uses rivers as a pathway to bring public services to distant communities in a region where geography directly influences the delivery of assistance.
The operational base in Belém brings the ship closer to the planned areas of operation in Pará and neighboring regions, especially in the river corridors that concentrate part of the riverside population of the Eastern Amazon.
With medical equipment, its own team, and the ability to receive volunteers, the vessel was prepared to provide specialized care to locations where the distance from urban centers still affects the population’s care.
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