MV Doulos Hope

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Doulos Hope under her earlier name, Megastar Aries
History
Name
  • 1989-1991: Lady Sarah
  • 1991-1994: Aurora II
  • 1994-2012: MegaStar Aries
  • 2012-2013: Genting World
  • 2013-2022: The Taipan
  • 2022-present: Doulos Hope
Operator
Port of registryValletta, Malta[1]
BuilderFlender Werft
Yard number647
Laid downMay 9, 1988
LaunchedApril 7, 1989[2]
CompletedDecember 16, 1991
Identification
StatusIn service
General characteristics
Tonnage3,370 GT
Length82 meters
Beam16 meters
Decks4

MV Doulos Hope is a former cruise ship now serving as a floating library owned by the faith-based organisation Operation Mobilisation and operated by the German charity Gute Bücher für Alle.[4][5]

Currently named after the MV Doulos, the world's oldest active ocean-faring passenger ship until its retirement in December 2009,[6] 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,[7] predominantly for Hong Kong's now-defunct Star Cruises.

After 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 its much larger sister ship, the MV Logos Hope.[8]

History[edit]

Originally laid down on May 9, 1988 to designs first drawn up by Vikelas Architects of Athens, Greece,[9] the Lady Sarah was built by Flender Werke of Lübeck, Germany alongside its sister ship the Lady Diana,[10] nowadays known as the National Geographic Islander II.[11][12]

Lady Sarah's original buyers, the Windsor Line, a privately owned, late-1980s startup targeting the North American yuppie market,[13] 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 M/S Aurora II.[2]

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 M/S Megastar Aries.[14] Two 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.[7]

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 sold to OM Ships International,[15][16][17][18][19][20] the ships ministry arm of Christian outreach organisation Operation Mobilisation.[21] It was purchased to give the organization access to new ports, thanks to the ship's shallower draft compared to its sister ships.[22][23][8]

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.[4][24][25][26][27]

Post-refurbishment, Doulos Hope is now registered in Valletta, Malta[1] 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[28] under its new name, welcoming almost 120,000 visitors and selling close to 150,000 books in the process.[29]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b c "Doulos Hope specifications". Retrieved March 5, 2024.
  2. ^ a b "M/S AURORA II". Retrieved September 8, 2022.
  3. ^ "Genting Hong Kong's luxury yacht now a missionary ship". July 2022. Retrieved September 11, 2022.
  4. ^ a b "GBA Ships - This is the official website of GBA Ships which manages and operates MV Logos Hope". gbaships.org. Archived from the original on 2022-09-08. Retrieved 2022-09-08.
  5. ^ "Doulos Hope | www.gbaships.org". www.gbaships.org. Retrieved 2022-12-18.
  6. ^ "World's oldest seaborne passenger vessel on tour as floating library - Wikinews, the free news source". en.wikinews.org. Retrieved 2022-09-11.
  7. ^ a b BalticShipping.com. "BalticShipping.com". www.balticshipping.com. Retrieved 2022-09-08.
  8. ^ a b Seronay, Karen (2022-06-09). "OM Announces New Ship To Set Sail For Ports Of Southeast Asia". Keep The Faith ® The UK's Black and multi-ethnic Christian magazine. Retrieved 2022-09-11.
  9. ^ "Timeline | Vikelas Architects". www.vikelas.gr. Retrieved 2022-09-11.
  10. ^ "Lindblad Relaunches Former Crystal Cruise Ship in Galapagos". The Maritime Executive. Retrieved 2022-09-11.
  11. ^ "Crystal Esprit buyer Lindblad will operate the yacht in the Galapagos: Travel Weekly". 2021-10-19. Archived from the original on 2021-10-19. Retrieved 2022-12-27.
  12. ^ "Lindblad Expeditions-National Geographic Officially Names Newest Vessel, National Geographic Islander II". www.expeditions.com. Retrieved 2022-12-27.
  13. ^ Staff, C. I. N. (1988-09-15). "Per Diems: $1,500?". www.cruiseindustrynews.com. Retrieved 2022-09-11.
  14. ^ Smith, Peter C (2014). Cruise Ships: The Small Scale Fleet. Pen and Sword. pp. 256–257. ISBN 9781781592816.
  15. ^ "Meet Doulos Hope | OM Ships International". www.om.org. Retrieved 2022-09-08.
  16. ^ "Genting Hong Kong's Luxury Yacht Becomes Missionary Ship". The Maritime Executive. Retrieved 2022-09-11.
  17. ^ Staff, C. I. N. (2022-05-26). "The Taipan Sold to German Religious Organization". www.cruiseindustrynews.com. Retrieved 2022-09-11.
  18. ^ Boonzaier (j_boonzaier), Jonathan (2022-05-25). "Genting Hong Kong's smallest cruise ship trades casino chips for bibles and other books | TradeWinds". TradeWinds | Latest shipping and maritime news. Retrieved 2022-09-11.
  19. ^ Silliman, Daniel (22 August 2022). "Missionary Group Buys Luxury Yacht". ChristianityToday.com. Retrieved 2022-09-11.
  20. ^ Staff, C. I. N. (2022-06-13). "June Update: The Last Five Secondhand Cruise Ship Transactions". www.cruiseindustrynews.com. Retrieved 2022-09-11.
  21. ^ "Sight Magazine - "Proclamation and demonstration": OM Ships marks 50 years with a renewed vision for sharing the Gospel". www.sightmagazine.com.au. Retrieved 2022-09-11.
  22. ^ June 13th, Anne Lim |; Comment, 2022 09:36 AM | Add a (2022-06-12). "OM's new ship to set sail for Southeast Asia - Eternity News". www.eternitynews.com.au. Retrieved 2022-09-11.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  23. ^ "OM's new ship, Doulos Hope, a floating "miracle" that will build communities of disciples worldwide". Salt&Light. 2022-07-07. Retrieved 2022-09-11.
  24. ^ "Floating bookfair declared open! | OM.org". www.om.org. Retrieved 2024-03-06.
  25. ^ Doulos Hope Launch Weekend - May 2023, retrieved 2024-03-06
  26. ^ Nilson, Peter (2023-05-02). "GBA Ships launches Doulos Hope in Asia". Ship Technology. Retrieved 2024-03-06.
  27. ^ "Maritime Charity Launches New Ship to Promote Literacy and Education". MarineLink. 2023-05-10. Retrieved 2024-03-06.
  28. ^ "Doulos Hope Official - Facebook". www.facebook.com. Retrieved 2024-03-06.
  29. ^ "Doulos Hope Statistics". www.gbaships.org. Retrieved 2024-03-06.
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