On 5th May 2021, an update to the RSI Roadmap revealed that a previously unannounced deliverable was the Banu Merchantman.
Development for the Banu Merchantman started in January 2021, with an expected project duration of 50 weeks. In the Roadmap listing this includes:
Building, balancing, and implementing the Merchantman, the Banu-made trading vessel, into the game.
The Vehicle Concept Art team are due to finalise the concept at the end of July, after 30 weeks. Only one artist is assigned to this stage, so I'm presuming
The Vehicle Content EU team are scheduled to start work in June, and due for completion after 27 weeks in December. Six artists and two designers are scheduled to work on the ship in this phase of development.
Comparing this deliverable to other vehicles there are at least three more teams that need to work on the ship before it will be complete, the Audio, UI Feature, and Vehicle Experience teams. It looks like the Banu Merchantman won't be ready for December, most likely it will need an additional 2 or 3 months to complete the ship. Counting upon further delays to the schedule, mid-summer 2022 is a more likely release date.
Comparable with an Origin 890 Jump, with appropriate accommodation and facilities, the enormous Merchantman should make a prestigious flagship for my fleet. Although not a luxury vessel, the ornate organically sculpted styling of the Banu Defender offers a glimpse of the Merchantman.
The nomadic cargo hauling mercantile vessel hopefully will hopefully be the perfect platform to explore Star Citizen. Able to earn credits hauling goods between ports, and trading goods on the ground or with docked vessels. Parasitic Defenders should offer protection against smaller aggressors, whilst providing more a more economical mode of transport.
The one feature that would make this vessel perfect, is the possibility of transporting ground vehicles, opening up a vast array of gameplay.