MV Aranui 5 is a dual passenger/cargo vessel that entered service on 12 December 2015 between Tahiti and the Marquesas Islands.[3] With a homeport of Papeete, French Polynesia, the Aranui 5 replaced the Aranui 3 which entered service in 2003.[4]

Aranui 5 in 2015
History
France
NameAranui 5
OwnerCompagnie Polynesienne de Transport Maritime (CPTM)
Port of registryPapeete, French Polynesia (France)
BuilderHuanghai Shipbuilding, Shandong, China[1]
In service12 December 2015
HomeportPapeete, French Polynesia
Identification
StatusIn service
General characteristics
TypePassenger-cargo ship
Tonnage
Length126 m (413 ft 5 in)
Beam24 m (78 ft 9 in)
Draught5.5 m (18 ft 1 in)[1]
Decks10
Speed15 knots (28 km/h; 17 mph)[1]
Capacity256
Crew64[1]

No Aranui 4 ever went into service, because the number four is regarded as unlucky in China,[5] from which Wing Wong, founder of Compagnie Polynesienne de Transport Maritime (CPTM), the family business that operates the Aranui voyages, emigrated to Tahiti in the 1930s.[4][6]

Aranui 5, like its predecessor, is registered as a passenger ship under the International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS), for international operation.[4]

As well as carrying cargo to and from the six ports in the Marquesas Islands, Aranui 5 operates a passenger service and tourist cruise as part of its monthly 12-day itinerary; the ship also stops at the Rangiroa and Tuamotu atolls before returning to Tahiti.[7]

Additional Aranui 5 trips operate to other islands in French Polynesia and beyond, including Rarotonga and the Cook Islands and once a year to Pitcairn Island.[7]

The ship was used to house surfers at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Tahiti, making it the first floating Olympic village.[8]

References

edit
  1. ^ a b c d "Cruise Ship Position". cruiseshipposition. 2015. Retrieved 30 August 2015.
  2. ^ "Details and Current Position". marinetraffic. 2015. Retrieved 30 August 2015.
  3. ^ "Aranui 5 inauguré en grande pompe" (in French). Tahiti Infos. 9 December 2015. Retrieved 15 July 2023.
  4. ^ a b c "Aranui 5 Dual-Purpose Passenger/Cargo Ship". Ship Technology. 28 June 2015. Retrieved 13 April 2023.
  5. ^ "Aranui 5 : un nouveau cargo pour les Marquises" (in French). Tahiti Infos. 9 November 2015. Retrieved 15 July 2023.
  6. ^ Wheeler, Tony (22 January 2023). "The Aranui 5 – a passenger-cargo ship in French Polynesia". Tony Wheeler's Travels. Retrieved 13 April 2023.
  7. ^ a b Wheeler, Tony (3 April 2023). "On board the Pacific's strangest cruise ship". Traveller.com.au. Retrieved 13 April 2023.
  8. ^ Pierson, Dashel (22 July 2024). "Take a Tour of the Olympic Surfing Village Cruise Ship (Video)". Surfer.
edit