OM Ships CEO Speaks On Doulos Decommission

As news about the end of Doulos spreads, OM Ships CEO Peter Nicoll shares his thoughts here. The hard decision to end the ship’s ministry had to be made at a speed no-one wanted, leaving the future of the 300 crew presently on board uncertain. The ministry leaders are discussing options with each of them for their next stage. All future port visits have been cancelled. Plans are also being discussed about how to replace Doulos, both in the short and long term. However, as Peter makes clear here, all those on board and at the OM Ships head office continue to believe God has something great planned.

Doulos’ Last Days

Sad news indeed. After 30 years of Christian service and 95 years on the waves, the ministry of OM’s Doulos ship has come to a sudden and somewhat unexpected end. While the costs of maintaining the world’s oldest vessel have been increasing, recent surveys of what needs to be done to comply with international laws has suggested immediate work in the region of US$10,000,000! This is an unjustifiable amount to spend on such an old ship, so the Doulos ministry will draw to a close at the end of 2009. Please pray for the 280 crew who OM are helping to cope with this dramatic development.

Doulos Enters Dry Dock

The words “dry dock” are enough to reduce Paul to a jibbering wreck. These annual maintenance periods, required for all vessels, were not Paul’s highlight of serving with OM Ships. Once out of the water, onboard ‘luxuries’ such as running water, air-conditioning and toilets are no longer available. While most of the female crew minister on land during this time, those who remain behind work 12 hour days to minimise the time the ship is out of service. As Doulos continues to age, this present dry dock project has been a particularly gruelling several weeks. Pray for the crew and those volunteering to help.