Sailcargo ship Na Hiro E Pae begins trial voyages

The sailing cargo ship Na Hiro E Pae, which is intended to supply the Australes Islands in French Polynesia, has begun its first trial voyages in Spain. This 89-metre-long vessel is being built in Vigo for the Société de Navigation des Australes Tuhaa Pae (SNATHP).

The mixed-cargo sailing vessel Na Hiro E Pae, built for the Société de Navigation des Australes Tuhaa Pae (SNATHP), has commenced its sea trials, according to the engineering firm ECO Technique Marseille, which has advised the shipping company on this project. The vessel, built in Spain at the Astilleros Ria de Vigo shipyard in Vigo – a subsidiary of the Armon Group – set sail on Friday 2 October to undertake its first sea trials.

The keel-laying ceremony for this vessel, designed by the Spanish firm COTENAVAL, took place on 27 November 2024, and it was launched a year later, on 21 November 2025. This vessel, intended to provide a link to the Australes Islands in Polynesia, is fitted with a 22-metre-high aerodynamic profile developed by the Spanish company bound4blue. The vessel is 89 metres long, 17.5 metres wide and has a draught of 4 metres when fully loaded. The vessel has a crew of 36 seafarers, a deadweight of 2,048 tonnes, a displacement of 5,100 tonnes and a gross tonnage of 3,000 UMS.

This schooner (the term used for mixed-cargo vessels that provide connections between the islands) can carry 111 containers, including 40 refrigerated containers (reefers, or 1,500 m³ of refrigerated space), which will be handled by two cranes. The seven-deck vessel can accommodate up to 100 people in dormitories and 99 in two- or four-berth cabins with en-suite facilities, as well as in three luxury cabins with balconies on the top deck. It also features a restaurant, a snack bar, a swimming pool and a shop.

The delivery of the vessel, which was initially scheduled for July 2026, is now approaching. The SNATHP’s official programme announces a maiden voyage from Papeete on 6 December 2026 at 2.00 pm, arriving in Rimatara on 8 December.

The SNATHP operates the Tuhaa Pae IV, a vessel built in the Philippines in 2012 that carries nearly 25,000 tonnes of cargo and 1,000 passengers annually, making around thirty annual round trips of about ten days to the Austral Islands (Polynesia). The shipping company had this new schooner built specifically for this route. This is an essential link for the 6,850 inhabitants of these islands, which are scattered across 1,317 km, with the nearest island already 573 km from Papeete.

Source: Mer et Marine.
Image: Cotenaval.

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