THEY’VE crossed nine countries in two weeks. They’re exhausted, hot and covered in motor oil but the Southampton engineers supported by ABP Southampton are well on their way to completing their cross-continent challenge, Southampton2Mongolia.

The team of four, Callum Livingstone, George Tuckey, Oliver-Hampden-Martin and William Sexton have spent the last two months converting a Land Rover into an ambulance with the help of the skills of mechanics, carpenters and welders from ABP Southampton. The port donated £3,000 to the quest as well as work and volunteer hours to complete the conversion.

The trip kicked off on July 11 and will see the team eventually cover 10,000 miles, both on and off road, through 15 countries. Once the vehicle arrives in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, the team will donate the converted ambulance to a local hospital, as part of the Go Help Charity Rally.

The team have already had to overcome an overheating radiator, a leak in the turbo pipe and a run in with the Romanian police to make it to Istanbul.

Glyn Mason, service delivery manager at the port, said: “The project is a great opportunity to nurture the port’s close relationship with the University of Southampton and expose the sector to engineers who may have never previously considered the ports industry as a prospective career path.”

Go Help, which is a UK registered charity that is committed to working with local communities in Central Asia to improve their access to education and healthcare services, was chosen by the engineers because they were surprised by the lack of emergency resource available in Mongolia and wanted to make a difference.

Port manager, Clive Thomas, said: “We are extremely proud to sponsor this fantastic cause and we’ve all enjoyed following the team’s progress online.

"They’ve certainly got some stories to tell when they come home.

“We continue to wish them the best of luck.”

To follow the trip visit www.southampton2mongolia.com.

To find out more about Go Help visit www.gohelp.org.uk.