Aranui 3

M/V Aranui 3 is a dual passenger/cargo vessel that operated between Tahiti and the Marquesas Islands. With a homeport of Papeete, French Polynesia, Aranui 3 is registered as a passenger ship under the International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS), for international operation.

Aranui 3 at anchor in the Marquesas, November 2009
History
France
Name	Aranui 3
Owner	Compagnie Polynesienne de Transport Maritime (CPTM)
Port of registry	Papeete, French Polynesia (France)
Builder	Severnav shipyard, Drobeta-Turnu Severin, Romania[1]
Completed	24 December 2002
In service	1 March 2003 – 2015
Homeport	Papeete, French Polynesia
Identification	IMO number: 9245354 Call sign: FNTU MMSI number: 546001000[2]
Status	In service
General characteristics
Class and type	Passenger-cargo ship
Tonnage	7,325 GT 2,197 NT 3,200 DWT[1]
Length	117 m (383 ft 10 in)[1]
Beam	17.6 m (57 ft 9 in)[1]
Draught	5.5 m (18 ft 1 in)[1]
Depth	9.9 m (32 ft 6 in)[1]
Decks	8
Propulsion	3,840 kW (5,150 hp) MaK 8M32 engine[1]
Speed	15 knots (28 km/h; 17 mph)[1]
Capacity	208 passengers[1]

Constructed in Romania and entered service in 2003, Auraui 3 ended her French Polynesia voyages on 4 December 2015 and was replaced by the Aranui 5 for the 12 December 2015 inaugural sailing.

Apart from supplying cargo to the six ports in the Marquesas Islands, Aranui 3 also operates a passenger service and tourist cruise as part of its 14-day itinerary. It also stops at the islands of Rangiroa and Fakarava in the Tuamotu Islands.

The Aranui 3 ended service in Tahiti in 2015 and was replaced by the Aranui 5 who continues to service the route.