United States to send USNS Comfort hospital ship to Peru for El Niño relief

The United States will deploy the hospital ship USNS Comfort to the northern coast of Peru in February 2027 to assist with emergencies caused by the El Niño weather phenomenon. U.S. Ambassador to Peru Bernie Navarro announced the plan during a press conference at Southern Command in Florida, noting that February is expected to be the peak period for the phenomenon's impact.

The USNS Comfort is a mobile medical facility with a capacity for 1,000 beds, providing surgical and medical services for humanitarian and disaster relief operations. Peruvian Minister of Foreign Affairs Carlos Espá confirmed that officials are already developing a roadmap for the response, involving coordination between U.S. agencies, civil society, and the business sector.

Meteorologists suggest the upcoming El Niño could match or exceed the severity of the 1997 event, which caused widespread flooding, heat waves, and forest fires. This deployment follows previous missions by the vessel to Peru in 2018 and 2019.