MV Doulos Phos The ship currently known as the MV " Doulos Phos was the world ' s oldest active ocean - faring passenger ship , having plied the world ' s oceans from the time of her building in 1914 until being retired from cruising service at the end of 2009 . She is now owned by Mr . Eric Saw , Director and Chief Executive of BizNaz Resources International Pte Ltd in Singapore . She was previously owned by the German charity " Gute Bücher für Alle " ( ) , and was used as a floating bookshop . The ship has previously been known as the SS " Medina , the SS " Roma , the MV " Franca C , and the MV " Doulos " . The " Doulos " ended her final cruise in late 2009 at Singapore , with the ship being handed over to her new owners on March 18 , 2010 . History . The " Medina " was built in 1914 by Newport News Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Company for the Mallory Steamship Company of the United States . She was a freighter serving the Atlantic ; during World War II she served with the United States Coast Guard . The Panamanian company Naviera San Miguel SA acquired the " Medina " in 1948 ; they renamed the ship the " Roma " , and converted her into 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 . At this time the SS " Roma " , a steamship , was converted into a motor vessel and renamed the MV " Franca C " . She 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 " ( Greek for " servant " ) . Her first director was George Miley ( 1977 – 1978 ) followed by Dale Rhoton ( 1978 – 1981 ) . Under " Gute Bücher für Alle " ownership , she was manned by a volunteer crew and made sea port visits worldwide . On August 11 , 1991 , during the final night of the " MV Doulos " ' stop in the southern Philippine port of Zamboanga City , two of her foreign crewmembers were killed when a grenade thrown by members of the Abu Sayyaf Islamist separatist group exploded on stage during a performance by its Christian volunteers . Four locals were killed and 32 others were injured , including several crew members of the missionary ship . The MV " Doulos " held the biggest floating library in the world . Normally there were somewhere between 3000 to 5000 books on the shelves and half a million in the hold . She made her last world tour in 2009 with a planned de - commissioning in 2010 before the SOLAS regulations were to be introduced . However , a survey conducted by the ship ' s classification society RINA found that there were numerous significant problems and works with the ship ' s machinery , structure , and systems that would need to have been completed by December 31 , 2009 in order for the ship ' s certificates to be re - issued and the ship to continue sailing . Because the shipyard servicing the " Doulos " would not accept the ship for repairs until September 2010 and the cost of the work would be a total in excess of 10 million euros , and the limited ministry that the MV " Doulos " would have after the repairs , OM decided to end Doulos Ministry at the end of 2009 , instead of 2010 as originally planned . On March 18 , 2010 , " Doulos " was handed over to her new owner , Mr . Eric Saw , Director and Chief Executive of BizNaz Resources International Pte Ltd in Singapore . The new owners plan on preserving the historic ship . She will be renamed " Doulos Phos " , or Servant Light , in this process . In September 2013 , the ship was towed out of Singapore to Batam , Indonesia , to be refurbished before moving to the Island of Bintan to become part of a US $ 25 million hotel resort . Preservation plans . Decks A and B will be used as the hotel part of " Doulos Phos " . Two restaurants capable of seating 250 people each will be located on the Promenade deck ( where her dining room originally was ) and the boat deck . Other future amenities include a deli , cafe , wine and juice bars , a bookshop , banquet hall , meeting rooms , a bible school and a maritime museum . An amphitheater seating up to 70 people has been proposed .