Award, CSR & Safety, Collaboration , February 2026
Collaboration Safety & Wellbeing

Scorpio Continues its Support of Mercy Ships

Scorpio proudly supported the Mercy Ships Houston Soirée, bringing the maritime community together to champion global access to life-saving medical care.

The American shipping community gathered in style on 4 February 2026 for the second annual Mercy Ships Houston Soirée, a black tie charity event held at the Post Oak Hotel in Houston, Texas. The elegant event brought together 350 guests from across the shipping industry in celebration of the impact of Cargo Day 2025, and to jumpstart fundraising momentum for the year ahead. 

Scorpio was proud to serve once again as a Group-Level Sponsor, along with Stena Bulk, and Teekay, marking our second consecutive year supporting the Houston event. The soirée not only highlighted the extraordinary work of Mercy Ships but also reinforced Scorpio’s growing involvement with the organization on both a corporate and personal level.  

Scorpio’s table was hosted by Robert Emerick (US Chartering) and shared with Captain Amandeep Chadha (General Manager, Ops STI), Sarvesh Bhargava (Operations Manager, Tankers) and Travis Crittenden (Assistant Voyage Manager). An additional six guests were invited from Clarksons, CITGO, SUNCOR, McQuilling, and Marathon Petroleum.  

Group of men in tuxedos lined up in front of a blue photo call
The Mercy Ships Houston Soirée Committee, with the 2025 Chairman, Doug Martin, in the white tuxedo.

While London has long been a focal point of support for Mercy Ships, driven in large part by the dedicated efforts of Scorpio Tankers’ CCO, Lars Denker Nelson, the Houston Soirée celebrates the expanding commitment of Scorpio’s US team.  

With the goal of warming up the crowd to give generously, Captain Amandeep, who serves on the U.S. Committee for the Houston Soiree, spoke about the life-changing work that Mercy Ships does in remote areas of the world, reminding the crowd: “Without events like tonight’s, the incredible work of Mercy Ships simply wouldn’t be possible.”  

Celebrating Impact  

The Houston Soirée was created to celebrate the U.S. results of Cargo Day, celebrated annually in Geneva. The 2025 Cargo Day was the best on record, raising over $2.5 million from more han 90 companies. The Soirée also serves as a platform to showcase Mercy Ships’ transformative and life-saving procedures. With the Africa Mercy and Global Mercy, the two largest civilian hospital ships in the world, Mercy Ships continues to bring essential surgical care and medical treatments to people in developing nations. With the donations from shipping companies, owners, and private donations, Mercy Ships accomplished the following in 2025 alone: 

  • The Global Mercy vessel performed almost 2,500 surgical and approximately 5,500 dental procedures in Sierra Leone.
  • The Africa Mercy vessel stationed in Madagascar did almost 1,100 Surgical & 4,500 Dental Procedures.
  • Together, both vessels provided over 50,000 hours of medical training, including physiotherapy, nurse mentorship, surgical residencies, anesthesia mentoring, cleft lip training and more.
  • Medical Capacity Programs were conducted in Benin, South Africa, Guinea- Bissau, Burkina Faso, Togo, and Guinea.
  • On October 29th a steel cutting ceremony for the Africa Mercy II celebrated the official start of construction for their newest purpose-built hospital ship.  
Capt. Amandeep Chadha giving his speech at the soiree of mercy ships
Capt. Amandeep Chadha, who serves on the Houston Soiree Committee, shared his experience working with Mercy Ships.

A Successful Fundraiser 

As Captain Amandeep expressed during his speech: “This is our opportunity to give back, to stand behind a humanitarian mission that brings hope and healing to those who need it most. Mercy Ships believes that healthcare is a human right; and, ladies and gentlemen, so should we.” His words underscored the heart of the soirée: a unified maritime community rallying behind a mission that changes lives far beyond the industry itself. 

After dinner, a spirited auction of memorabilia and exclusive experiences was led by auctioneer Kimberly Niezgoda, ending in the highlight of these functions: the auction of a model of the Global Mercy. The evening’s fundraising brought total revenues to $600,000. Scorpio is proud to be involved in this ongoing mission. 

 

To learn more about Mercy Ships and their impact, visit their website here: www.mercyships.org 
For a detailed annual report on where the donations went, you can read it here: Mercy Ships 2025 Annual Impact Report 

 

This article features in Beacon 30. While onboard, you can download the Beacon from DocMap.