Huanghai Delivers Aranoa for 2027 Austral Islands Service
Certified for 103 crew, Aranoa has balcony cabins comprising nearly 80 percent of passenger accommodations, alongside restaurants, a spa and a Polynesian tattoo salon.
Huanghai Shipbuilding delivered Aranoa to Aranui Cruises on September 28, 2026, ahead of the passenger-cargo vessel’s planned entry into revenue service in 2027. The ship will operate from Papeete, Tahiti, combining cruises with freight transport to remote French Polynesian islands.
Aranoa is the second passenger-cargo cruise ship Huanghai has built for Compagnie Polynésienne de Transport Maritime, Aranui’s parent company and the vessel’s owner. The yard delivered the operator’s existing ship, Aranui 5, in 2015.
The new vessel is certified to carry 197 passengers and 103 crew, with container capacity of 48 TEU. Balcony cabins account for nearly 80 percent of its passenger accommodations.
Measuring 116 meters long and 21 meters wide, Aranoa uses diesel-electric propulsion with azimuth thrusters. Its design comes from the Shanghai Merchant Ship Design and Research Institute, known as SDARI, a unit of China State Shipbuilding Corporation.
SDARI linked the design to demand for smaller, expedition-style cruise products serving remote tropical destinations. Huanghai said the project adds to its work building small- and medium-sized luxury passenger-cargo vessels.
Passenger facilities include restaurants and bars, whirlpools, a spa and fitness center, along with a lounge and boutique. There is also a Polynesian tattoo salon.
Aranui began carrying passengers in 1984 after Aranui I was converted for that role. Its established operation centers on roughly 12-day Marquesas voyages that combine island visits with cargo service. Those itineraries also call in the Tuamotu and Society islands.
Aranoa is intended primarily for cruises to the Austral Islands.
