Aranui 5

Aranui 5 in 2015
History
France
Name	Aranui 5
Owner	Compagnie Polynesienne de Transport Maritime (CPTM)
Port of registry	Papeete, French Polynesia (France)
Builder	Huanghai Shipbuilding, Shandong, China[1]
In service	12 December 2015
Homeport	Papeete, French Polynesia
Identification	IMO number: 9677492 Call sign: FIQC MMSI number: 546018800[2]
Status	In service
General characteristics
Type	Passenger-cargo ship
Tonnage	7,500 GT 3,300 DWT
Length	126 m (413 ft 5 in)
Beam	24 m (78 ft 9 in)
Draught	5.5 m (18 ft 1 in)[1]
Decks	10
Speed	15 knots (28 km/h; 17 mph)[1]
Capacity	256
Crew	64[1]

MV Aranui 5 is a cargo liner that entered service on 12 December 2015 between Tahiti and the Marquesas Islands.^[3] With a homeport of Papeete, French Polynesia, the Aranui 5 replaced the Aranui 3, which entered service in 2003.^[4]

No ship named Aranui 4 ever went into service, because the number four is regarded as unlucky in China;^[5] Wing Wong, the founder of the business that operates the Aranui voyages, was from China.^[4][6] Aranui 5, like its predecessor, is registered as a passenger ship under the International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS), for international operation.^[4]

As well as carrying cargo to and from the six ports in the Marquesas Islands, Aranui 5 operates a passenger service and tourist cruise as part of its monthly 12-day itinerary; the ship also stops at the Rangiroa and Tuamotu atolls before returning to Tahiti.^[7] Additional Aranui 5 trips operate to other islands in French Polynesia and beyond, including Rarotonga and the Cook Islands and once a year to Pitcairn Island.^[7]

The Aranui 5 was used to house surfers at the 2024 Summer Olympics off the coast of Teahupoʻo, Tahiti, making it the first floating Olympic village.^[8] The ship housed 28 athletes from 19 delegations.^[9]