MV Doulos has sailed back after its maiden voyage to the city in 2006. Dubbed as the ‘Floating Library’, Doulos opened its book fair to Negrenses on Friday and will stay in the city until March 2.

The ship is a United-Nations-of-sorts with its 330 staff members coming from 50 countries, including 50 new family members, who were accorded a warm welcome by the crew and staff as they joined the ship in Cebu, where the ship dropped anchor prior to Bacolod City. At least 12 Filipinos are among the Doulos family members.

MV Doulos is a historic vessel. Built in 1914, two years after the RMS Titanic was launched and sank, it is considered today as the world’s oldest ocean-faring passenger ship. It was originally known as The Medina built by an American company. It later served as a freighter plying the Atlantic route before serving the American Coast Guard during World War II.

Medina named after a river in  Texas, was renamed Roma (because it carried pilgrims to Rome in 1950, which was declared the Roman Catholic Holy Year)  in 1948 when it was converted into a passenger ship accommodating 287 persons in its cabins and almost 700 others in its dormitories.  In 1952, it was resold to an Italian company, which converted the steamship into a motor vessel and as MV Franca C  – named after a member of the Costa family which runs a fleet of ships — carried passengers between Italy and Argentina, before it  became a cruise liner in 1959 on the Mediterranean routes.

In 1977, Gute Bucher for Alle, or Good Books for All, acquired Franca C and named the ship Doulos (“where volunteers on board seek to serve god and the nations they visit”) Its website declares that the Doulos purpose is to “visit port cities throughout the world, supplying vital literature resources, encouraging inter-cultural understanding, training young people for more effective life and service, promoting greater global awareness, providing practical aid and sharing a message of hope in God whenever there is an opportunity.”

As of early 2008, Doulos has sailed for almost 350,000 nautical miles and called on 573 ports.

Its testimonial archives online show a range of influential personalities lauding the ship for its global programs and activities. Among those who expressed words of appreciation are a Nobel Peace prize winner, the King of the Zulus,  government ministers, top officials of cities visited and former Philippine President Fidel Ramos, who said that the visit has contributed “to the further strengthening of international understanding and goodwill” and heightens “mutual appreciation of various nations for each others’ society and culture.”

Pat Tracy, an American, is the captain of the Maltese-registered vessel with Dr. Daniel Chae, a South Korean, as managing director.

Doulos carries more than 6,000 titles of quality literature  from the United Kingdom and United States covering diverse topics –from education, to business, cookery, sports, a wide selection of children’s books and Christian literature.

Doulos is more than just books. It carries, along with thick and almost boundless pages of knowledge, help and hope to the more than 100 countries it has visited and more than 20 million guests on board. It brings the cultures of its crew and staff to other worlds, expanding the world view of those who experience the Doulos way of living through the international fiesta and café features during the boat’s visit.

Jiamin Choo, Doulos project manager, a professional from Singapore who has been with the ship for four years, reiterated the mission of Doulos as a messenger of hope and peace while also saying that it challenges people to the wonderful experience of volun-teerism. The Doulos team members’ ground activities touches the hearts of people, too.

In Bacolod, these ground activities include visits to the City Jail, orphanages, public schools, churches and West Negros University. They have also calendared mall activities – a cultural show at Robinsons on Feb. 20 and a children’s show at SM City on Feb. 22, Choo said.

The  Doulos staff officer said her life has taken a wonderful turn in the ship, despite the fact that initially it can be a claustrophobic experience  for a newcomer living with strangers for two years. Soon, however, she added, life is transformed as one  builds friendship and appreciation for other people’s culture and discovers the bigger world, in her case, more than 30 nations visited, including the Middle East and Africa.

The Bacolod visit, which started a day before Valentine, can be an opportunity for people to have a wider choice of meaningful gifts to give their loved ones. It’s a timely thing for buying gifts, said Choo, who told StarLife that the ship had about 28,000 visitors in Bacolod in 2006.

From Bacolod, Doulos will sail to Manila where for its March 5-31 stop.

The Doulos Book Fair will be open from 2 p.m. to 9 p.m. every Sunday and Monday and 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. from Tuesday and Saturday. Entrance fee is P10 with children under 16, who must be accompanied by an adult, allowed free entry. The Doulos Fiesta on board, set Feb. 14 and 28, from 2 to 5 p.m. is free of charge, while the International Café, an evening of music and dances from around the world held in a café setting, is scheduled Feb. 15 and 22 starting 7:30 p.m. Tickets for the activity, sold at P20, are available at the Philippine Christian Book stores at Robinsons and SM City and on board at the Book Fair. By the way, ship officials have this reminder: ‘No backpacks please’.

 

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