MV ''Aranui 3'' was a dual passenger-cargo ship that operated between

Tahiti Tahiti (; Tahitian language, Tahitian , ; ) is the largest island of the Windward Islands (Society Islands), Windward group of the Society Islands in French Polynesia, an overseas collectivity of France. It is located in the central part of t ...

and the

Marquesas Islands The Marquesas Islands ( ; or ' or ' ; Marquesan language, Marquesan: ' (North Marquesan language, North Marquesan) and ' (South Marquesan language, South Marquesan), both meaning "the land of men") are a group of volcano, volcanic islands in ...

. With a homeport of

Papeete Papeete (Tahitian language, Tahitian: ''Papeʻetē'', pronounced ; old name: ''Vaiʻetē''Personal communication with Michael Koch in ) is the capital city of French Polynesia, an overseas collectivity of the France, French Republic in the Pacific ...

French Polynesia French Polynesia ( ; ; ) is an overseas collectivity of France and its sole #Governance, overseas country. It comprises 121 geographically dispersed islands and atolls stretching over more than in the Pacific Ocean, South Pacific Ocean. The t ...

, ''Aranui 3'' was registered as a passenger ship under the

International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea The International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS) is an international maritime treaty which sets out minimum safety standards in the construction, equipment and operation of merchant ships. The International Maritime Organiza ...

(SOLAS), for international operation. She was constructed in

Romania Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern and Southeast Europe. It borders Ukraine to the north and east, Hungary to the west, Serbia to the southwest, Bulgaria to the south, Moldova to ...

and entered service in 2003 with Compagnie Polynesienne de Transport Maritime (CPTM). Apart from supplying cargo to the six ports in the Marquesas Islands, ''Aranui 3'' also operated a passenger service and tourist cruise, as Aranui Cruises, within its 14-day itinerary. It also called at the islands of

Rangiroa Rangiroa ( Tuamotuan for 'vast sky') or Te Kokōta (Cook Islands Māori Cook Islands Māori is an Eastern Polynesian language that is the official language of the Cook Islands. Cook Islands Māori is closely related to, but distinct from ...

and

Fakarava Fakarava, Havaiki-te-araro, Havai'i or Farea is an atoll in the west of the Tuamotu group in French Polynesia. It is the second largest of the Tuamotu atolls. The nearest land is Toau, a coral atoll which lies to the northwest. The atoll is ro ...

in the Tuamotu Islands. The ship ended her French Polynesia voyages on 4 December 2015 and was replaced by the '' Aranui 5'' for the 12 December 2015 inaugural sailing. ''Aranui 3'' was sold by CPTM to M2 Vessel Ltd, under the management of Al Seer Marine,

Abu Dhabi Abu Dhabi is the capital city of the United Arab Emirates. The city is the seat of the Abu Dhabi Central Capital District, the capital city of the Emirate of Abu Dhabi, and the UAE's List of cities in the United Arab Emirates, second-most popu ...

, and converted to the superyacht support ship ''M2''.

References

External links

Aranui official website
Expedition cruising 2002 ships Cruise ships Marquesas Islands Tahiti Ships of French Polynesia {{cruise-ship-stub