OM Ships, an international Christian organisation based in Germany, unveiled its latest seagoing bookshop in Singapore this week.
The 3,370-gt Doulos Hope (built 1991) will be open to the public at the VivoCity pier until 21 May. Admission is free and tickets are available online.
The ship’s new role will see it travel to some of the world’s most remote communities, with its crew of 140 volunteers “sharing knowledge, help and hope” by doing community development and religious outreach work as well as providing access to affordable literature covering a wide range of topics.
This new role is very different from that intended by the ship’s first owner Windsor Cruise Line.
Cashing in on the popularity of the British Royal Family, the ship was ordered at Flender Werft by the fledgling cruise line as the Lady Sarah, with a second identical ship built under the name Lady Diana.
The pair, which were designed to accommodate a mere 80 passengers, were touted as being as luxurious as any royal yacht.
Windsor never delivered the ships.
The company claimed it had rejected them while the yard said Windsor was unable to pay. Left with two expensive ships on their hands, Flender chartered them to US-based Classical Cruises for a couple of years while a new buyer was sought. The Lady Sarah was renamed Aurora II for the charter.
Within two years a new buyer for both was found in Asia in the form of Genting-owned Star Cruises, then a new but rapidly growing company. Star put them into service catering to the elite members of its gaming loyalty club, as well as on private charters.
The Lady Sarah operated for Star under the names MegaStar Aries, Genting World and The Taipan. OM Ships acquired it in May 2022 as part of the Genting Hong Kong liquidation process. It was subsequently refitted for its new role in Penang and Singapore.
OM Ships’ flagship is the 12,500-gt Logos Hope (built 1973), a converted ropax that typically visits 15 to 18 port cities annually. During these port calls the vessel attracts thousands of visitors keen to stock up on books covering a wide range of topics.
The Doulos Hope was named in homage to a previous OM ship, the 6,800-gt Doulos (built 1914), which for many years was listed in the Guinness Book of World Records as the world’s oldest ocean-going passenger vessel.
The venerable vessel was acquired by the organisation from Costa Cruises in 1977 and retired in 2009 at the age of 95. It has since been converted into a luxury resort hotel on the Indonesian island of Bintan.
