Dignity for deceased with deployable morgues

The Australian-built morgues, based on a standard three-metre (10-foot) shipping container, are designed to hold six deceased persons and can operate in climates ranging from sub-Antarctic to tropical, thanks to their ability to hold set temperatures from +6 degrees to minus -20 degrees.

An Royal New Zealand Air Force (RNZAF) C-130J Hercules uplifted the morgues from Royal Australian Air Force Base Richmond in early February, flying them to RNZAF Base Auckland.

Upon arrival they were blessed by three NZDF chaplains and local kaumatua.

Dave Wills, Commercial Lead – Maritime Domain at the Ministry of Defence, says over the years various Courts of Inquiry have recommended the Royal New Zealand Navy acquire dedicated morgues to enable the correct and respectful care of deceased persons.

“In the past the Navy has faced challenges with the storage of deceased. Some 21^st Century ship acquisitions - Aotearoa, Canterbury and Otago - have two-person morgues, which is an improvement.

“However, their capacity and the nature of them being fixed within a ship means they are unsuitable for a greater number of casualties and they cannot be deployed outside the ship.”

A high-level user requirement of the Dive Hydrographic Project, which resulted in HMNZS Manawanui, specified an enhanced morgue capability to fit with the ship’s mission profile of dive and salvage operations, humanitarian assistance and disaster relief and search and rescue. This led to the idea of a containerised concept that could be placed on a ship’s deck.

“Once we’d decided on a container solution, the project determined it should be fully deployable for the Defence Force. It would be able to be transported by air, over land, operate on land and be embarked on other ships that can transport containers.”

The contract was awarded to Melbourne-based company Heuch Cooling Solutions following a competitive tender process, with bids from New Zealand and Australia.

Mr Wills said Heuch presented the best public value and scored the highest in the tender process.

“They have a track record in designing and constructing ruggedised, deployable morgues and refrigeration systems, including making similar equipment for the Australian Defence Force.”

The morgues incorporate dual power inputs: 440 Volts for use aboard Ships (stepped down to 230 Volts via a transformer) and 230 Volts for operating on land.

The height was reduced to 2.4 metres to make C-130J air transport possible.

“The flight across from Australia proved the ‘air transportability’ aspect of the units,” he says.

“Having two units, based at the Naval Supply Depot in Devonport Naval Base provides flexibility for routine operations and responding to events. For example, one morgue can be embarked on an RNZN vessel for a patrol or operation and the other is available to respond to an event, either via another RNZN ship  or utilising a C-130J Hercules, to fly it into location and be operated by an off-the-shelf 230-volt generator.”

A particular advantage with the units is that as the morgue sits externally aboard the ship it is less likely that a deceased person would need to move through any internal part of the ship, avoiding accommodation spaces, galleys or messes – which is a significant cultural consideration.

The six-person capacity can be extended to seven. The morgues include an electrically powered scissor-lift to enable the movement of deceased to any height up to the upper stowage levels to facilitate safe loading and unloading.

There is secure storage for deceased’s personal effects as well as separate storage for cleaning products and PPE.

“These deployable morgues represent a much-needed capability to enable the safe, dignified, respectful and culturally appropriate care of deceased persons NZDF may have custody of in a range of mission profiles from security operations to search and rescue and humanitarian aid and disaster relief – both domestically and internationally.”