Following devastating quakes that took place last week in Turkey and neighbouring Syria, the toll rises to more than 33,000 people confirmed dead.

In addition as Tradewinds reports, to the hundreds of thousands losing their homes in freezing temperatures and this is where maritime companies are rushing to offer help.

As part of contributions to assist, the most eye-catching has involved Istanbul-based Karadeniz Holding, which announced on Saturday that it was to send two vessels into the stricken region and from where be able to host a total of 3,000 victims on board. 

The contribution Karadeniz has described as its first humanitarian mission ever with the deployment of a pair of “Lifeship Floating Villages”. The vessels will be sent to the affected areas of Hatay and Iskenderun.

The ships to be deployed are the Karadeniz Lifeship Suheyla Sultan and the Karadeniz Lifeship Rauf Bey. (The latter lifeship, Afloat.ie has identified as the former Irish Sea fast-ferry HSS Stena Explorer which was renamed One World Karadeniz (see photo) prior to departing Holyhead and when bound for Turkey.

This was the first renaming given by Karadeniz after acquiring the pioneering HSS Stena Explorer which was the last ever ferry to operate the former Dun Laoghaire-Holyhead which closed in 2014).

At the weekend, Karadeniz added on social media that the lifeships are “fully equipped with accommodation, living spaces; education, social and medical facilities, dining halls and galleys”.

Anadolu, Turkey’s state-run news agency had said that the floating villages will be deployed in 15 to 20 days after “necessary procedures” are completed.

The lifeships reports Tradewinds are not currently listed on the fleet list of Karadeniz Holding, which deploys floating power stations in several troubled and energy-hungry parts of the world.

Karadeniz which also has an office in Dubai, has operations also in finance, real estate, and shipbuilding industries. On a related note  as Afloat reported in 2015, they had plans to convert the HSS Stena Explorer into a high-tech floating office

For more on the floating village ships and their humanitarian relief role, click here.