The
RV Pandaw and other 5
similar so called "class
P" design vessels was
commissioned after the
end of the Second World
War by the Inland Water
Transport Board of the
government of the Union
of Burma with the
technical expertise of
the Irrawaddy Flotilla
Company at that time
acting as Agents to the
I.W.T. Board under an
agreement.
Rv Pandaw was built in
Scotland on the Clyde by
the famous ships builder
Yarrow & Co on 1947 with
the same design of the
pre-war Quarter Wheeler
steamers of the
Irrawaddy Flotilla
Company. After being
boarded up in order to
protect her from the sea
waves, she left Scotland
for the delivery voyage
to Burma on the 1950. On
the 12th January 1951
she started to serve the
Inland Water Transport
(Irrawaddy Flotilla was
nationalized on the 1st
of June 1948) on the
route Mandalay- Bhamo
for both cargo and
passengers
transportation.
In the 1998 she was
hired from Inland Water
Transport and converted
into a 16 cabins
luxurious river cruise
vessel by the Historian
Mr. Paul Strachan and
his wife, who is also
the founder of the
revived Irrawaddy
Flotilla Company.
After 5 successful years
of cultural cruises
operations in the
Irrawaddy and Chindwin
rivers of Myanmar, IFC
decided to not renew the
charter contract with
IWT anymore because the
Old Lady Rv Pandaw
needed some major
repairs and refitting,
an investment that IFC
probably deemed not
convenient as they have
already built two bigger
new Pandaw replicas with
higher passenger
capacity.
In the second half of
the 2003 Interconnection
Co. Ltd signed the
charter agreement with
IWT and the Pandaw
underwent to major
renovations in the
Marine Side at the
Yangon Dalla Dockyards.
As far as the Hotel side
is concerned new
furniture has been
specially designed and
new Food and Beverage
equipment have been
bought.
