There are people who dream of have your own boatbut their stories don’t always end as they imagined. Clyde Stires began to raise in 1987 a yacht at his California home because he couldn’t afford to buy it. He threw it into the sea seven years later, although its story had a bitter end when the Kaleidoscope was stolen in Mexico. Chris Willson bought an old cruise shiprenamed it Aurora, invested a fortune and more than ten years to turn it into a floating dream, but it was finally scrapped. Some boats accumulate effort, years and enthusiasm, but destiny is not always on the side.
Among all those marine stories, one appears that has taken an unexpected direction. It is what was once considered the oldest active passenger ship in the world. It was born in 1914, the same period when shipyards were still working with rivets and before welding became popular in shipbuilding. Today it no longer travels the oceans, but it is still standing: it is stranded on a small artificial island off Bintan, in Indonesia, and has been converted into a luxury hotel known as Doulos Phos The Ship Hotel. It does not sail, but continues to receive passengers.
From onion cargo ship to hotel stranded on artificial island
Its history began far from tourism and any pretension of luxury. When left the shipyard in 1914his name was SS Medina and transported onions and other products along United States trade routes. Decades later, he would be recruited for World War II, performing logistical support tasks. After the conflict, it was converted into a passenger ship and adopted a diesel engine, which allowed it to extend its useful life. Later, as a mission ship and floating library, it visited more than one hundred countries and survived an attack in the Philippines in 1991.
The age that made it special also left it at a disadvantage compared to modern maritime safety standards. Updating it involved changing a good part of its structure, installing new fire protection systems and adapting the cabins to current standards. It was too expensive an operation for its owner, who took it to a dry dock in Singapore, where it was waiting for offers. The most likely involved its scrapping. However, a Singaporean businessman named Eric Saw submitted the winning bid.acquired it for 900,000 euros and decided to try to give it a second life.
After purchasing the boat, the new owner faced a problem that was not technical, but geographical: he had nowhere to put it. He tried to get Singapore to grant him a permanent space, but negotiations were unsuccessful. Keeping it in dry dock was expensive. and it didn’t offer a way out either. The opportunity came in Bintan Resorts, a tourist area jointly promoted by Indonesia and Singapore, where they proposed taking it as a heritage attraction. There he proposed an unusual idea: instead of keeping it afloat, permanently installing it on land, on an artificial island shaped like an anchor.
Moving a 6,800-ton ship to dry land is not a common operation. First, a section of the coastline was emptied to make a provisional “channel” and allow the hull to approach the area where it would be stranded. On that land, a concrete base was prepared, anchored by piles that crossed the ground until reaching firmer layers. The movement was done with winches and enormous air cushions that acted as rollers. The initial plan contemplated a much shorter operation, but progress was slower and the maneuver ended up extending to seven weeks.
Converting a century-old ship into a hotel involved completely redesigning its interiors. The old shared cabins, with bunk beds and barely any space for movement, gave way to spacious rooms with private bathrooms, air conditioning and services typical of modern accommodation. Fuel tanks were removed, bulkheads were pierced and new electricity and water networks were deployed. Today it has 93 cabins spread over several levels, including the Executive Suites, the Family Suites and the so-called Master Mariner, located on the upper deck with a terrace, outdoor jacuzzi and private dining area.
Although the interior was completely transformed, the goal was not to erase its past. Key elements were preserved such as the engine room, the propeller shaft of more than 60 meters, several lifeboats and some original cabins enabled as “experience cabins”. The decks remain passable and guests can access iconic spots such as the fo’c’sle, the same space in the bow popularized by the movie Titanic. Original rivets recovered during the renovation were also incorporated into the interior decoration as a reminder that this is a 1914 boat.
The project does not stand alone as a business. The investment exceeded 15 million euros and the owner maintains that his objective is not to recover that amount. He has declared that this is a conservation project and that He only earns a dollar a year in salary.. In addition, it states that the proceeds go to charitable activities. Keeping the boat, even out of the water, remains an ongoing challenge, because the rust never completely disappears. Painting and repairing the hull is an ongoing process. The owner maintains that the modifications made could be reversed, allowing, at least in theory, the ship to be returned to the sea if someone wanted it in the future.
Images | Doulos Phos
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