By: Issabella Narapal
The Doulos Hope- international book fair ship, widely known as floating library is currently open to public in Port Moresby from the 9th of May to 27th May, docking at the Main T Wharf Berth.
The vessel is open for visitation from Tuesday to Saturday from 10:00 am to 5:30 pm and on Sunday the visitation hours are from 1:00 pm to 7: pm. The admission details for entry includes K5 per person upon arrival while children under 1 years old including seniors’ citizens of over 65 years old are entry without payment.
It is operated by the German faith-based, non-profit charity GBA Ships. The word doulos is Greek for “servant”, making the vessel’s name translate to “Servant of Hope carrying the primary global mission to share knowledge, offer community aid, and promote peace and cultural exchange.
The project Coordinator for Doulos Hope Port Moresby, Clemence Mugoni, highlighted that the floating library carries over 2,000 book titles spanning children’s literature, science, hobbies, medicine, faith, and academic texts.
He said, the crew also go offshore to carried out community initiatives such as practical aid projects, educational programs, and local leadership training.
Apart from being known as the floating library, Clemence Mugoni emphasized that Doulos Hope views diversity as a core strength and an opportunity to build global unity.
“Doulos Hope crew consisted of around 150 volunteers representing dozens of different countries, creating the opportunity to learn and indulge in different cultural perspectives” said Mugoni.
He praised how diverse Papua New Guinea is and said the crew is looking forward to interact with locals, aiming to build friendships, promote unity, and foster cross-cultural understanding.
“PNG people are very flexible when it comes to friendship and being kind, not forgetting how culturally diverse PNG is with over 800 languages.”
“There’s so much to learn and it is incredible to see people in PNG” said Mugoni.
The ship’s core philosophy centers on a heart of service, translating their vision into practical acts of love and sharing positive messages of hope across the Asia-Pacific and globally.
