Huanghai Shipbuilding delivered the Aranoa to Aranui Cruises on September 28.

The ship will be deployed in the South Pacific from Papeete, Tahiti, offering combined passenger and cargo voyages. Revenue service is slated to start in 2027.

The Aranoa is certified for 197 passengers and 103 crew, and its cargo capacity is 48 TEU. The ship was designed by SDARI, the Shanghai Merchant Ship Design and Research Institute, a unit of China State Shipbuilding Corporation.

The Aranoa is the second passenger-cargo cruise ship built by Huanghai for CPTM, following the Aranui 5, delivered in 2015. Both ships serve French Polynesia’s remote islands.

Huanghai said the project extends its work in small- and medium-sized luxury passenger-cargo ships. SDARI said its design reflects demand for small expedition-style cruise products in remote tropical markets.

Balcony cabins account for nearly 80 percent of accommodations, and the crew-to-passenger ratio is about 1:2.