MV Doulos Hope
{{Short description|Former cruise ship and future floating bookshop}}
| {{Infobox ship begin
}} {{Infobox ship image | Ship image = | Ship caption = Doulos Hope docked at Puerto Princesa City Port. }} {{Infobox ship career | Hide header = | Ship name = *1989–1991: Lady Sarah
| Ship namesake = | Ship operator = *Windsor Line
| Ship registry = Valletta, Malta{{cite web |url= https://www.gbaships.org/en/DHspecifications| title= Doulos Hope specifications|accessdate=March 5, 2024}} | Ship ordered = | Ship awarded = | Ship builder = Flender Werft | Ship yard number = 647 | Ship laid down = May 9, 1988 | Ship launched = April 7, 1989{{cite web |url= https://www.faktaomfartyg.se/aurora_II_1991.htm| title= M/S AURORA II|accessdate=September 8, 2022}} | Ship sponsor = | Ship christened = | Ship status = In service | Ship completed = December 16, 1991 | Ship in service = | Ship out of service = | Ship identification = *Call sign: 9HA5843
| Ship notes = Greek "Doulos" means "Servant", "Doulos Hope" means "Servant of Hope" }} {{Infobox ship characteristics | Hide header = | Header caption = | Ship class = | Ship tonnage = {{GT|3,370}} | Ship displacement = | Ship length = {{cvt|82|m|ftin}} | Ship beam = {{cvt|16|m|ftin}} | Ship height = | Ship draught = | Ship power = | Ship propulsion = | Ship speed = | Ship capacity = | Ship crew = | Ship decks = 4 | Ship notes = }} |
MV Doulos Hope is a former cruise ship now serving as a floating library owned by the German faith-based German charity Gute Bücher für Alle.{{Cite web |title=Doulos Hope {{!}} www.gbaships.org |url=https://www.gbaships.org/en/douloshope |access-date=2022-12-18 |website=www.gbaships.org |language=en}}
Currently named after the MV Doulos, the world's oldest active ocean-faring passenger ship until its retirement in December 2009,{{Cite web |title=World's oldest seaborne passenger vessel on tour as floating library - Wikinews, the free news source |url=https://en.wikinews.org/wiki/World%27s_oldest_seaborne_passenger_vessel_on_tour_as_floating_library |access-date=2022-09-11 |website=en.wikinews.org |language=en}} Doulos Hope was originally intended to sail as the Lady Sarah. For most of its career, it has served as a cruise ship under the names Aurora II, Megastar Aries, Genting World and The Taipan,{{Cite web |last=BalticShipping.com |title=BalticShipping.com |url=https://www.balticshipping.com/ |access-date=2022-09-08 |website=www.balticshipping.com |language=en}} predominantly for Hong Kong's now-defunct Star Cruises.
After a long completion of a refit in mid-2023, Doulos Hope is based in Southeast Asia and provides a floating library service in shallow-water ports to complement the much larger {{MV|Logos Hope}}.{{Cite web |last=Seronay |first=Karen |date=2022-06-09 |title=OM Announces New Ship To Set Sail For Ports Of Southeast Asia |url=https://www.keepthefaith.co.uk/2022/06/09/om-announces-new-ship-to-set-sail-for-ports-of-southeast-asia/ |access-date=2022-09-11 |website=Keep The Faith ® The UK's Black and multi-ethnic Christian magazine |language=en-GB}}
History
The vessel was originally laid down on May 9, 1988 to designs first drawn up by Vikelas Architects of Athens, Greece,{{Cite web |title=Timeline {{!}} Vikelas Architects |url=http://www.vikelas.gr/timeline |access-date=2022-09-11 |website=www.vikelas.gr |language=en}} the Lady Sarah was built by Flender Werke of Lübeck, Germany alongside its sister ship the Lady Diana,{{Cite web |title=Lindblad Relaunches Former Crystal Cruise Ship in Galapagos |url=https://maritime-executive.com/index.php/article/lindblad-relaunches-former-crystal-cruise-ship-in-galapagos |access-date=2022-09-11 |website=The Maritime Executive |language=en}} nowadays known as the National Geographic Islander II.{{Cite web |date=2021-10-19 |title=Crystal Esprit buyer Lindblad will operate the yacht in the Galapagos: Travel Weekly |url=https://www.travelweekly.com/Cruise-Travel/Crystal-Esprit-buyer-Lindblad-Expeditions-operating-ship-Galapagos |access-date=2022-12-27 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211019173638/https://www.travelweekly.com/Cruise-Travel/Crystal-Esprit-buyer-Lindblad-Expeditions-operating-ship-Galapagos |archive-date=2021-10-19 }}{{Cite web |title=Lindblad Expeditions-National Geographic Officially Names Newest Vessel, National Geographic Islander II |url=https://www.expeditions.com/about/press-room/lindblad-expeditions-national-geographic-officially-names-newest-vessel-national-geographic-islander-ii/ |access-date=2022-12-27 |website=www.expeditions.com |language=en}}
Lady Sarah{{'}}s original buyers, the Windsor Line, a privately owned, late-1980s startup targeting the North American yuppie market,{{Cite web |last=Staff |first=C. I. N. |date=1988-09-15 |title=Per Diems: $1,500? |url=https://www.cruiseindustrynews.com/cruise-news/15289-per-diems-1-500.html |access-date=2022-09-11 |website=www.cruiseindustrynews.com |language=en-gb}} could not meet their obligations on its completion in 1989. The ship was eventually sold to the Bahamas-based New Frontier Cruise Line instead, and in mid-December 1991 it was renamed MS Aurora II.
In July 1994, the ship was again sold to Hong Kong-based Star Cruises, where it would spend the remainder of its cruising career, and renamed MS Megastar Aries.{{Cite book |last=Smith |first=Peter C |title=Cruise Ships: The Small Scale Fleet |publisher=Pen and Sword |year=2014 |isbn=9781781592816 |pages=256–257}} After 2 decades later, while still remaining with Star Cruises, it was renamed first as MV Genting World in July 2012, and then as MV The Taipan in October 2013.
After Star Cruises' parent company, Genting Hong Kong, filed for bankruptcy in January 2022, the cruise line folded. In May of the same year, The Taipan was handed to OM Ships International,{{Cite web |title=Meet Doulos Hope {{!}} OM Ships International |url=https://www.om.org/ships/douloshope |access-date=2022-09-08 |website=www.om.org |language=en}}{{Cite web |title=Genting Hong Kong's Luxury Yacht Becomes Missionary Ship |url=https://maritime-executive.com/article/genting-hong-kong-s-luxury-yacht-becomes-christian-missionary |access-date=2022-09-11 |website=The Maritime Executive |language=en}}{{Cite web |last=Staff |first=C. I. N. |date=2022-05-26 |title=The Taipan Sold to German Religious Organization |url=https://www.cruiseindustrynews.com/cruise-news/27566-the-taipan-sold-to-german-religious-organization.html |access-date=2022-09-11 |website=www.cruiseindustrynews.com |language=en-gb}}{{Cite web |last=Boonzaier (j_boonzaier) |first=Jonathan |date=2022-05-25 |title=Genting Hong Kong's smallest cruise ship trades casino chips for bibles and other books {{!}} TradeWinds |url=https://www.tradewindsnews.com/cruise-and-ferry/genting-hong-kong-s-smallest-cruise-ship-trades-casino-chips-for-bibles-and-other-books/2-1-1225136 |access-date=2022-09-11 |website=TradeWinds {{!}} Latest shipping and maritime news |language=en}}{{Cite web |last=Silliman |first=Daniel |title=Missionary Group Buys Luxury Yacht |url=https://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2022/september/gleanings-news-christians-global-yacht-missionary.html |access-date=2022-09-11 |website=ChristianityToday.com |date=22 August 2022 |language=en}}{{Cite web |last=Staff |first=C. I. N. |date=2022-06-13 |title=June Update: The Last Five Secondhand Cruise Ship Transactions |url=https://www.cruiseindustrynews.com/cruise-news/27655-june-update-the-last-five-secondhand-cruise-ship-transactions.html |access-date=2022-09-11 |website=www.cruiseindustrynews.com |language=en-gb}} the ships ministry arm of Christian outreach organisation Operation Mobilisation.{{Cite web |title=Sight Magazine - "Proclamation and demonstration": OM Ships marks 50 years with a renewed vision for sharing the Gospel |url=https://www.sightmagazine.com.au/features/19536-proclamation-and-demonstration-om-ships-marks-50-years-with-a-renewed-vision-for-sharing-the-gospel |access-date=2022-09-11 |website=www.sightmagazine.com.au}} It was purchased to give the organization access to new ports, thanks to the ship's shallower draft compared to its other ships.{{Cite web |first1=Anne |last1=Lim |date=2022-06-12 |title=OM's new ship to set sail for Southeast Asia - Eternity News |url=https://www.eternitynews.com.au/world/oms-new-ship-to-set-sail-for-southeast-asia/,%20https://www.eternitynews.com.au/world/oms-new-ship-to-set-sail-for-southeast-asia/ |access-date=2022-09-11 |website=www.eternitynews.com.au |language=en-AU}}{{Cite web |date=2022-07-07 |title=OM's new ship, Doulos Hope, a floating "miracle" that will build communities of disciples worldwide |url=https://saltandlight.sg/evangelism/oms-new-ship-doulos-hope-a-floating-miracle-that-will-build-communities-of-disciples-worldwide/ |access-date=2022-09-11 |website=Salt&Light |language=en}}
On May 25, 2022 Operation Mobilisation affiliate Gute Bücher für Alle accepted the ship in Penang, Malaysia, and it completed its sea trials on July 20. It then sailed to Singapore to continue a refurbishment which was concluded with its official relaunch on May 5, 2023.{{Cite web |title=GBA Ships - This is the official website of GBA Ships which manages and operates MV Logos Hope. |url=https://gbaships.org/en/65-doulos-hope-first-drydock |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220908040351/https://www.gbaships.org/en/65-doulos-hope-first-drydock |archive-date=2022-09-08 |access-date=2022-09-08 |website=gbaships.org}}{{Cite web |title=Floating bookfair declared open! {{!}} OM.org |url=https://www.om.org/eng/ships/stories/floating-bookfair-declared-open |access-date=2024-03-06 |website=www.om.org |language=en}}{{Citation |title=Doulos Hope Launch Weekend - May 2023 |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lb2tSDDIfYk |access-date=2024-03-06 |language=en}}{{Cite web |last=Nilson |first=Peter |date=2023-05-02 |title=GBA Ships launches Doulos Hope in Asia |url=https://www.ship-technology.com/news/gba-ships-launches-doulos-hope-in-asia/ |access-date=2024-03-06 |website=Ship Technology |language=en-US}}{{Cite web |date=2023-05-10 |title=Maritime Charity Launches New Ship to Promote Literacy and Education |url=https://www.marinelink.com/news/maritime-charity-launches-new-ship-505001 |access-date=2024-03-06 |website=MarineLink |language=en}}
Post-refurbishment, Doulos Hope is now registered in Valletta, Malta but based in Southeast Asia, where it stays in each port it visits for extended periods. As of March 2024, the ship had sailed over 4,350 miles and visited ports in Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Cambodia and the Philippines{{Cite web |title=Doulos Hope Official - Facebook |url=https://www.facebook.com/DoulosHopeOfficial |access-date=2024-03-06 |website=www.facebook.com}} under its new name, welcoming almost 120,000 visitors and selling close to 150,000 books in the process.{{Cite web |title=Doulos Hope Statistics |url=https://www.gbaships.org/en/DHstatistics |access-date=2024-03-06 |website=www.gbaships.org}}