From passenger to officer

Milan Falsing, Danish officer serving short-term as Second Officer onboard the hospital ship the Africa Mercy, formerly the Danish ferry Dronning Ingrid.

On May 31, 1997, the Danish ferry Dronning Ingrid stopped running. A tunnel from the cities of Koersoer to Sproege, Denmark made ferries obsolete. That was a sad day for 11-year-old Milan Falsing.

“I cried for two or three days,” he said. Born and raised in the small town of Hoeng, Milan had traveled by the ferry many times to visit family members in other parts of Denmark and especially to the small island of Aeroe, where his grandmother lived.

“It was always a special occasion for me and my sister,” he recalled. “On the starboard side forward (where the dining room is now) there was a play area for children.”

Milan had so many happy memories of good times onboard the ferry and he was broken- hearted to think there would be no more. His concerned mother contacted Scandlines, who owned the ferry at the time, and asked if Milan and his siblings could visit the ferry one last time to say farewell. The vice president granted the request. “When my mother gave me the good news, I was all jumpy and screamy and so happy,” he said.

Finally, the big day arrived – a day off from school. When they arrived, darkness shrouded the alleyways and everything was being dismantled. The vice president of Scandlines showed them around, and Milan and his siblings enjoyed one last time in the play area. Milan picked up one of the small ashtrays as a souvenir.

“Up on the bridge, I remember the huge glass plates in the floor. It was fun to stand on them and look down.” A fourth-grader at the time, Milan was the last passenger onboard. “That’s when I decided to be a seafarer,” he said. “I just wanted to go out to sea.”

He chose to go to a boarding school with a maritime focus. From there, he went to the maritime high school to get a high school diploma and a seaman’s degree that would allow him to find a position on a ship. He went to work for the Maersk Line for his basic training at sea. They also had an educational opportunity for a dual degree, but he wanted to become a single navigator and chose the Marstal Maritime Academy, located on his grandmother’s island. “I have a big association with that island,” he said.

As a member of the Danish Ferry Institute, Milan kept his interest in the Dronning Ingrid alive. When Mercy Ships bought the ferry in 1999 and moved it to Newcastle, UK to be renovated as the hospital ship Africa Mercy, Milan followed the renovation progress.

“I had never heard of Mercy Ships before and my interest was piqued,” he said.

After seven years, he saw the ferry again. Totally renovated, she had become the Africa Mercy, a state-of-the-art hospital ship. “There she was! A new ship, all white with a new stack.”

As soon as he received his Master’s Unlimited Degree, he began looking for a way to serve onboard. His commercial job allowed plenty of holidays, but often they didn’t coincide with an opening on the ship. When it did, he applied right away.

Mercy Ships accepted his application on a Monday, but he needed his numbers for blood pressure and pulse. At midnight, he biked down to the emergency medical doctor, a short distance away, and explained what he needed and why.

“It only took five minutes to get the numbers,” said Milan. He called the Mercy Ships officen on Tuesday, and Thursday morning he left for Freetown to become the first Danish officer to serve onboard since 2009. He confided that his mother and sister were elated that he was going to be on the ship and asked if there was room for them, too.

Milan (his crew mates call him “Milo”) is excited to be serving onboard. “I don’t want to go home, but I have to,” he admitted. “I also would love to come back again.”

He wants to promote Mercy Ships as much as he can when he goes home. “This is unique! You can’t find it anywhere in the world!” he exclaimed.