MV Doulos Opening Ceremony

Doulos was built in 1914, only two years after the Titanic. Today, Doulos is the World's Oldest Active Ocean-Going Passenger Vessel. She is operated by non-profit charity organization GBA meaning Good Books for All.

Onboard is the World's Largest Floating Book Fair. Doulos is the unique platform for an international community service and cultural exchange project. 350 volunteers from over 50 nations serve onboard, bringing knowledge, help and hope to the nations.

SBMA Chairman Commodore Feliciano G. Salonga assisted by Doulos skipper Capt McDonald and Olongapo City Mayor James "Bong" Gordon, Jr with Zambales Vice Governor Anne Marie Gordon seen here cutting the ribbon to signal the official opening of MV Doulos in Subic Bay.

City Councilors Gina Perez, Rodel Cerezo, Vice Mayor Cynthia Cajudo, Councilor Jong Cortez, Gie Baloy and Ed Piano joins Capt McDonald and his wife during the opening ceremony.

MV Doulos arrives in Subic tomorow on final sail

MV Doulos arrives in Subic tomorow on final sail

SUBIC BAY FREEPORT — The world’s largest floating bookstore, MV Doulos, will arrive here tomorrow for her last port call in the Philippines prior to decommissioning next year.

Jiamin Choo, MV Doulos project coordinator, said the 93-year-old ship will be in Subic from Dec. 28 to Jan. 14 to conduct a book fair and promote cultural understanding.

This will be the ship’s final visit to Subic since it will be retired next year in accordance with an international protocol disallowing ships with wooden parts from sailing starting 2010, said Choo.

Doulos was built in 1914 just two years after the famous Titanic sank, and is now listed in the "Guinness Book of Records" as the world’s oldest active ocean-going passenger ship.

Purchased in 1977 by Gute Bücher für Alle (Good Books for All), a private, non-profit, charitable organization registered in Germany, the ship has been utilized since 1978 in bringing “knowledge, help and hope” through its floating book fair and cultural exchange programs.

MV Doulos is manned by a volunteer crew of 300, who represent about 50 countries, said Choo, a volunteer from South Korea.

While in Subic, Doulos will be open Tuesdays to Saturdays, from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m., for the book fair, which will have an entrance fee of P10 per person.

Children below 16 years old will be free of charge, but must be accompanied by adults, said Olga Wiebe, the ship’s coordinator in Subic. --Ric Sapnu

World’s largest floating library goes to Subic

The Filipino youth will be the focus of the world’s largest floating library, MV Doulos, and its 350 Christian volunteers when they return after six years to the Subic Bay Freeport on Dec. 28.

Olga Wiebe, Doulos project coordinator, told the Inquirer that their theme would be “Dare to Dream.”

“At least 80 to 100 of our volunteers from the world over will interact with the Filipino youth through music, dance, drama and life stories to inspire them to dream. It will be like a journey around the world,” she said here last week.

Wiebe said the event, which invited youths from various parts of the Philippines and called the Doulos International Night, is set on Jan. 12 at the Olongapo City Convention Center.

While berthed at the Subic Bay’s Alava Wharf until Jan. 14, Doulos will receive guests to browse through its library that carries more than 6,000 book titles and hundreds of film and music videos.

Doulos, owned by the German charity group Gute Bucher fur Alle (Good Books for All), has sailed to over 100 countries since 1978 to “bring knowledge, help and hope to the nations.”

The ship, the medium through which the volunteers reach people from across the globe, is actually 93 years old or four to five times the age of its volunteers who are between 18 and 25 years old, Wiebe said.

Built in 1914, Doulos had been rebuilt and reengineered twice to make it the oldest ocean-going passenger ship in the world, she said.

After serving as a freighter ship, migrant carrier and cruise liner, Doulos was transformed into a floating library to promote education and international understanding in Latin America, Africa, Europe, Middle East, Asia and the Pacific.

The library is open 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Tuesdays through Saturdays and 2 p.m. to 9 p.m. Sundays through Mondays.

For information, contact Olga Wiebe at 0916-636-6668 or e-mail at doulos.subicbay@gbaships.org

By Tonette Orejas - Inquirer Central Luzon Desk

MV Doulos here for the last time

OLONGAPO City: The world’s oldest ocean-faring ship, MV Doulos, will be visiting Subic Bay Free Port from December 28 to January 14, 2008 but its return to Subic this time will be welcomed with mixed emotion.

Olga Wiebe, project coordinator of MV Doulos, who is staying in this city for coordination purposes said that the ship turned into a floating bookstore would be making its last stop in the Philippines. She said that the ship would be decommissioned in 2010, while its fate has yet to be deter­mined—whether it is to be sunk or given to a museum is still undetermined.

The MV Doulos has gained a repu­tation worldwide for offering books for less cost, and it has more than 6,000 titles covering a wide range of subjects, such as Science, Sports, Hobbies, Cookery, The Arts, Philosophy, Children’s books, among others.

Doulos was originally built as the freighter Medina in 1914—just two years after the famous Titanic—and it has since then been through different phases of remodeling and employment up to the purchase by its present owner, GBA (Gute Bücher für Alle, which translates to Good Books for all), a nonprofit charity organization founded in Germany.

Wiebe said that the crew will be participating in the annual celebration of the Olongapo City fiesta and the New Year celebration at the Subic Boardwalk during their stay in Subic. But what is important, she explained, is to make sure that their stay is meaningful by bringing knowledge, help and hope which is their goal.

This year, the ship welcomed aboard its one-millionth-person, Fritzie Nabalitan, a mother of two who arrived with her family. The crew led by Doulos Captain Ashley Mcdonald greeted them and gave them a tour of the ship, with Fritzie wearing a special sash that read “One Million in 2007.” The distinction also earned her a voucher to use in the book fair.

The milestone figure gave the crew cause to reflect on their experience during a busy year and the 999,999 visitors that stepped on board before Fritzie.
--Anthony Bayarong - Manila Times

Subic to Host the World’s Largest Floating Book Fair

THE world’s oldest ocean-going vessel will re-visit Subic on December 28, 2007 to January 14, 2008 to promote international understanding and world-wide education by bringing knowledge, help and hope to the general public.

Regional Director Ronaldo Tiotuico of the Department of Tourism–Central Luzon made this announcement in a press statement issued recently.

Tiotuico said MV Doulos, an ancient ship built in 1914, is the world’s largest floating book fair with a record of over half a million books representing over 6,000 book titles and covering a wide range of subjects such as science, technology, sports, hobbies, cookery, the arts, and philosophy. A large selection of these books is devoted especially to the educational needs of school children.

One of the highlights of the ship’s port programme is the staging of the so-called “International Festival”, a colorful and enjoyable evening of music, cultural dance and songs from the countries represented by the crew and staff.

Around the world, the Doulos community has been involved in providing significant humanitarian relief in areas of need and tragedy. This includes supplying material aid, renovating educational facilities, providing primary health care, and donating educational literature to school children.

Today the ship carries a multinational crew and staff of about 350 volunteers whose service is a practical expression of their faith and commitment to bringing knowledge, help and hope to individuals and communities around the world. Over 17 million visitors have been welcomed on board in 100 countries worldwide.

The floating book fair will be open to the public everyday during work hours. An array of cultural performances, songs and dances as performed by the crew will be staged during weekends.

For further details, please contact Ms. Olga Wiebe, project, c/o Church of the Risen Christ, No. 15, 20th Street, West Bajac Bajac, Olongapo City, Mobile No. 0916-636-6668 or Email at olga.wiebe@gbaships.org or doulos.subicbay@gbaships.org or Website at www.doulos.org.

Floating bookshop to visit Subic free port

SUBIC FREEPORT—The popular floating bookshop m/v Doulos is set to visit this free port in December after undergoing dry dock maintenance in Batangas.

The Doulos, which had just come from Brunei last week, is now at a dry dock in Batangas and will proceed to this former United States naval base for a port call from Dec. 28 until Jan. 14, according to regional director Ronaldo Tiotuico of the Department of Tourism.

Tiotuico said one of the highlights of the Doulos’ port call here will be the traditional ‘‘International Festival’’ that its 350-member volunteer crew has held in about 100 countries for more than 17 million visitors.

The Doulos, which also visited Manila in January, is a boat owned by the German charity Gute Bücher für Alle (Good Books for All) and is used as a floating bookshop to promote international understanding and worldwide education.

The ship carries of over half a million books representing over 6,000 book titles and covering a wide range of subjects such as science, technology, sports, hobbies, cookery, the arts, and philosophy. A large selection of these books is devoted especially to the educational needs of schoolchildren.

While docked at a port, some of its multinational crew also hold humanitarian relief missions in areas of need and tragedy. This includes supplying material aid, renovating educational facilities, providing primary health care and donating educational literature to schoolchildren.

The Doulos, reputedly the world’s oldest active ocean-faring passenger ship, was built in 1914 by Newport News Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Co. for the Mallory Steamship Co. of the United States as a freighter serving the Atlantic route. She was then known as the m/v Medina.

During World War II, she served with the United States Coast Guard but was acquired by the Panamanian company Naviera San Miguel SA in 1948 and renamed the ship the SS Roma, a passenger ship with cabins for 287 people and dormitories for an additional 694 people.

In 1952 Naviera San Miguel resold the Roma to Linea Costa, an Italian company, which renamed it m/v Franca C which carried passengers between Italy and Argentina. In 1959, the Franca C was adapted into a cruise liner, principally cruising the Mediterranean.

In 1977, Gute Bücher für Alle acquired the Franca C, and renamed her the Doulos. In her current role, she is manned by a volunteer crew and visits sea ports world-wide, carrying the biggest floating library in the world. Rendy Isip - Manila Standard Today