Have you heard of the MV Doulos Phos? Initially called SS Medina, it is a ship with a history that encompasses different uses, experiences, and destinations, currently located off the coast of Bintan, Indonesia. It was built just two years after the fateful sinking of the Titanic and had better luck than that. In 1914, it started its journey as a method for transporting onions and other products. Later, it served in World War II, and in 1948 it changed its name to SS Roma, being used to transport pilgrims to and from Rome. In 1977 it was sold to Operation Mobilization, and that is when it was named MV Doulos.
It achieved the Guinness World Record in 2010 for being the oldest active ocean passenger ship in the world. That same year it was put up for sale, and it was the Singaporean businessman Eric Saw who acquired it for $1.1 million. Today, renovated and on land, it has become a 5-star hotel that saw its opening truncated by the lockdown in Singapore and Indonesia due to COVID-19. Currently, it is open to the public and continues as one of the most charitable projects, as Saw only receives $1 as a symbolic salary, donating the rest of the profits to Christian charitable causes.
MV Doulos Phos
This ship represents one of the historical milestones in naval history, alongside the Titanic, but this one had a better ending. Its first name was SS Medina, and it set sail for the first time in 1914 from a shipyard in Texas, as a means of transporting onions and other food products. It was pressed into service during World War II, and in 1948 it changed its name and purpose again, becoming SS Roma and serving to transport pilgrimage passengers to and from Rome.
Its upgrade came in 1952, when it went from being a steam ship to a motor ship, which prompted another name change, MV Franca C. It was then that it became the first-class passenger ship. It was sold to the Mobilization Operation in 1977, when it finally received its current name, MV Doulos Phos. For the next thirty years, it served as a floating missionary ship and library, which captured the attention of many people.
From boat to floating hotel
One of the people who caught my attention the most about this ship was Singaporean businessman Eric Saw, who could not resist when the ship was put up for sale in 2010. It was the same year that it received the Guinness World Record for being the oldest and active ocean passenger ship in the world. The future of the vessel was divided: either to be bought or to end up as scrap. Saw could not allow this to happen, so he purchased the ship for a total of $1.1 million.
Saw’s idea was to turn the ship into a hotel and make it available to the public, and for that, he invested $18 million of his own money and nearly a decade of his time. After multiple problems with permits from the Singapore authorities, he met Frans Gunara, a hotel developer from Bintam, who provided him with a location off the coast for his ship. The opening date was scheduled for 2019, but due to lockdowns and the consequences of COVID-19, the 5-star hotel could not open its doors.
Personal project beyond money
The project continued and continues moving forward, with a motivation that has nothing to do with money. Saw receives a symbolic salary of $1, and he donates all the benefits obtained to Christian charitable causes. This kind of story seems to bring a little comfort, and keeps alive the hope that there are still good people in the world.