Aranui will add a second ship into service as early as 2022, according to local media reports, as the luxury cargo/passenger line looks to expand its cruise operation.
According to The Cruise People’s Kevin Griffin’s weekly news roundup, Compagnie Polynesienne de Transport Maritime (CPTM), which operates the ‘Aranui 5’ in French Polynesia, reportedly ordered the ‘Aranui 6’ from a Chinese shipyard.
The newbuilding will have more of a focus on the company’s luxury cruise product than the Aranui 5 and previous vessels.
Passenger capacity is expected to be between 200 and 300 guests.
The 254-guest ‘Aranui 5’ came into service in late 2015, sailing from its year-round homeport of Papeete.
The ship is a custom-built, dual-purpose vessel that sails from Tahiti to the Marquesas, Tuamotu and Society Islands in French Polynesia on all-inclusive itineraries. The ‘Aranui 5’ replaced the ‘Aranui 3’, which dates from 2003
