4 days to go… ‘What is the Logos Hope?’

Today I will be talking about the Logos Hope, explaining what it is and hopefully clearing up a lot of questions surrounding the ship.

‘What is the Logos Hope?’

In summary, the Logos Hope is a 434ft long Christian mercy ship owned by Operation Mobilisation (OM). It can carry up to 422 passengers, and plays a crucial role in OM’s vision of ‘creating vibrant communities of Jesus followers among the least reached’.

The ship has quite the history, acting as a Swedish car ferry called the Gustav Vara for the first ten years of her service; from 1973 to 1983. From 1983 to 2004 it continued as a car ferry, but based in the Faroe Islands instead with a new name; the Narröna. OM bought the ship in 2004, re-named her as the Logos Hope and put her into action in February 2009. This means the ship will be celebrating her 10th anniversary while I am aboard!

The Logos Hope is continuously sailing from port to port year round. It generally stops at a port for two or three weeks before moving to the next one. When in port, it is often an attraction, as it is the worlds largest floating book fair and is rather a novelty for many of the people that cross the gangway.

The book fair sells both Christian and educational books to those visiting, over 5,000 different titles in fact. The ship also boasts the ‘Logos Hope Experience’, offering visitors an introduction to the vessel and OM’s mission. There is even an cafe onboard. In addition the crew of the Logos Hope often partake in outreaches to the local communities, providing much needed aid and assistance whenever required.

Recently the Logos Hope has been visiting Latin America, but has moored at ports all around the world. Indeed while I am aboard the ship, it will be visiting Chile, Argentina and Uruguay, but I will explain more about that tomorrow.