What life is really like aboard the world’s largest floating bookshop

The world's largest floating bookshop, Logos Hope, is currently docked at Victoria Pier in Douglas.

Open to the public, the ship represents more than 60 nationalities and is made up of 350 volunteers who come from all walks of life.

Their vision is to provide access to high-quality literature, express practical love to those in need, promote peace by embracing diversity and modelling a purposeful life.

Although the ship is operated by an international Christian missionary movement, the message behind it for crew members such as Ruchir Rana, originally from Gujarat in India, is simple: to share knowledge, help and hope.

Ruchir, who currently works as part of the advance preparations team, was originally due to stay onboard for three months; this September marked his fifth year onboard.

He told reporter Sadie Gilbert about his journey with Logos Hope.

‘My parents worked with the mother organisation of the Logos Hope, and there was a friend who was joining in in September 2022. And this a dear friend of mine also, you know, put that thought in me. He was like, "Hey, how about you also join the ship for a few months?”’

Ruchir's day-to-day job involves preparing for the ship's arrival at various ports.

‘That includes all permissions. We have people from 65 different countries. So arranging visas for them or connecting with the port, connecting with media partners and all these different organisations to pull up the project together. So it's basically project management.’

The daily work on the ship follows a similar structure to a nine-to-five with scheduled breaks and meal times. When the day is done, the crew get to explore wherever they are docked.

Ruchir’s favourite destination holds sentimental value both for him and for the ship itself.

‘I have got the privilege of visiting a lot of countries and different regions, and one of my recent highlights was the Faroe Islands.

‘Before coming to the ship, I had never heard about this place, the ship is originally from the Faroe Islands. It was a ferry between Faroe Islands and Denmark, and then it just so happened to go back to its home, that's where you saw the people super excited, their memories of getting onto this ferry when it was a ferry, and now seeing it as a book fair and just connecting with all of them.

‘Faroe Islands is also a beautiful place, hills and the ocean, all these different scenery, Faroe Islands was amazing. I enjoyed my visit there.’

Ruchir expressed his excitement about welcoming visitors from the island onboard.

He highlighted the cultural exchange offered aboard Logos Hope, which brings together people from different countries, giving visitors the opportunity to learn about different cultures and hear people's stories. He said that sharing knowledge was a two-way process, with the crew also keen to learn about the island and its people.

‘We are not bringing it to you; we are sharing. We also want to know your culture. We also want to know you.’

The ship is open daily from 10am to 10pm before it’s departure on November 22.