Have you heard of, or perhaps visited, the MV Doulos when it was docked in Malaysia several years ago? Up to 2008, before it was put up for auction, the MV Doulos sailed the world as the world’s oldest ocean-going passenger ship and (from 1977) world’s largest floating bookshop.

The 102-year-old Doulos has had a long and glorious history. It was launched in 1914 as a freighter named SS Medina, which transported onions before carrying troops and supplies during both World Wars. It was later renamed SS Roma then MS Franca C, converted into an ocean liner ferrying only first-class passengers, before being bought by German-based Christian charity Good Books for All (GBA Ships). For the next 32 years, up until it was decommissioned and put up for sale in 2009, the missionary ship, dubbed the world’s largest floating bookshop, carried literature to over 100 countries, including Malaysia.

Just for context, the Titanic was built in 1912, making the Doulos a mere two years ‘younger’ than the famous doomed ship. If you wanted to know what it feels like to be on board the Titanic, standing on the Doulos would have probably come as close as possible to that exact same feeling.

The RMS Titanic (top), which set sail on its doomed journey in 1912; and the SS Medina (bottom), which was completed in 1914 (Photos from Wikimedia Commons)

One of my most fond and vivid memories occurred in 2008 during a trip to visit the MV Doulos when it was docked in Port Klang. (It was also probably the ship’s last visit here, but of course I didn’t know it at that time.) Up the steep, rickety stairs I went, through the belly of the ship where all the books were were, and out the exit at the other end. Upon stepping into the sunlight on the deck, I was greeted by a pleasantly familiar yet wondrously unknown sight – a tiny wooden Starbucks stall on wheels, reminiscent of old-fashioned popcorn stands you see in movies, but bigger, and emanating that tantalizing smell of freshly-brewed coffee. The familiar Starbucks logo and a barista with the green apron standing behind a shiny modern coffee machine assured me that, yes, it was real, and no, it was not part of my imagination.

Photo from Free Malaysia Today

Now, the vessel has been transformed into a hotel, thanks to a Singaporean businessman who spent S$2 million to save it from the scrapyard in 2010. The vessel will be turned into a luxury hotel on dry land at a 1.4ha site beside the Bandar Bentan Telani ferry terminal in Bintan, Indonesia, an hour away from Singapore. Renamed Doulos Phos The Hotel, the ship will house a maritime museum, swimming pool, library, spa, piano lounge and an amphitheatre. Its eight decks will reflect different periods of its history while a presidential suite of more than 1,000 sq ft boasting a private jacuzzi and BBQ pit will occupy the captain’s deck. The engine room and bridge, which contains a century-old compass, will be retained and turned into a museum, and old wash basins and the frames of bunk beds reused.

Artist’s impression of the proposed Doulos Phos Hotel (Image from Doulos Phos Facebook)

Owner Eric Saw says he hopes to open the hotel by Christmas or early 2017 after refurbishment is completed, estimated to cost about S$20 – S$25 million. The hotel is set to become an icon in Bintan, where Singaporeans form the biggest visitor market. All profits from the hotel will go to charity.

Source
Free Malaysia Today
The Straits Times
Wikipedia