“Little brother” of the Aranui V, the Aranoa was welcomed with fanfare, this Monday morning, on the quays of Papeete. The new mixed cargo ship will undertake its first freight runs to the Austral Islands in December, before taking its first tourists there in March. CPTM, the parent company of Aranui Cruises, plans to hire on Tuha’a Pae, hopes to spur development of transport, services and local production… And it believes there is “room for two” operators in the Austral Islands, where SNA is also preparing to position a brand-new vessel, the Na hiro e Pae.
Concert of sirens, this Monday morning, in the Papeete harbor. The port welcomes a new arrival, and one that is here to stay: the Aranoa, which after 25 days at sea from China, where it was built, and after narrowly avoiding a typhoon, arrived at the quay a little after 7 a.m. A milestone for the Polynesian Maritime Transport Company, the parent company of Aranui Cruises, which has been working on the project for 10 years. In any case, for a second-ship project: an initial vessel, larger than the Aranui V with its 150 meters in length, had first been proposed. This “Aramana,” dedicated exclusively to cruising, had even received tax relief approvals and was ordered from a shipyard in 2019. Covid ultimately unsettled the project’s balance. And the company shifted toward what it does best: a new mixed cargo ship that could carry around fifty containers and nearly 200 passengers, with the Tuha’a Pae in its sights rather than the Marquesas.
A 116-meter “little brother”
The Aranoa, at 116 meters long with 91 cabins, is thus, for Philippe Wong, the true “little brother” of Aranui 5, in operation since 2015. “The idea is the same: to introduce our islands, specifically the Austral Islands, to foster local development while serving the populations there,” explains the CPTM CEO. He notes that with its stabilizers, its Azipod propulsion system, and its dynamic positioning system that will allow it to remain safely near the coasts even when seabed topography makes anchoring impractical, the vessel is “perfectly suited” to servicing Tuha’a Pae.
Although a crew from the company traveled to China to oversee the final weeks of construction and ensure the handover, the new cargo is not yet fully ready to set sail. Some arrangements remain to be completed on board, including the lounge, restaurants, bars, whirlpools, spa, gym, or in the premium cabins, of which 62 have a balcony. Recruitment is also needed to complete the final hundred-strong crew who will accompany the cargo and its passengers on its crossings. As with the Aranui V, CPTM intends to reach 50% of crew members originating from the Austral Islands: “They are the best ambassadors of their archipelago and of the ship to the tourists.”
“We must double the communication”
The Aranoa is still slated to sail toward the Austral Islands in early December with freight, then undertake a first cruise for the New Year to the Tuamotus. The real inaugural voyage, to the Tuhaa Pae and Rapa, will be next March. And even if bookings are not yet full, Philippe Wong says he is pleased with the early reservations. “2027 has been on sale for about a year and a half, and we’ve had quite a bit of demand, a number of ‘repeaters,’ passengers who already visited the Marquesas with Aranui 5 and want to visit the Austral Islands, but we need to launch a big communication campaign,” explains the CEO. It is a long-term effort to launch a new destination. In the Austral Islands, there are only family inns, so communication is adjusted to availability. With a ship like ours that will make about twenty voyages per year, we need to double the communication.
Aranui Cruise also aims to continue working with Tahiti Tourisme and the local authorities of the Tuamotu-Gambier to develop onshore tourism offerings. Carriers and service providers remain too few in the Austral Islands. “There are so many things to do, beyond whale watching which is limited to specific seasons. We will be there every other month of the year, and that will create real momentum,” resumes Philippe Wong, who says he does not fear competition. The Na hiro e pae, another newly built mixed cargo ship from SNA, will soon begin its journey from the Spanish shipyards where it was constructed, and it will replace Tuhaa Pae IV on the southern archipelago route by December. “There is room for two,” insists the head of Aranui Cruises, for whom the Austral Islands stand to gain from the presence of two operators, in case of a mishap, and to “complement” offerings.
The Aranoa, still customs-bound this Monday, also plans itineraries that go beyond the Tuha’a Pae, including, at the end of its 13-day voyage, calls at Raiatea and Bora Bora. “This will facilitate the export of Austral products to the Raromatai,” notes Philippe Wong, who, like the crew members, is “eager” to present the new mixed cargo vessel in both archipelagos.
