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History of the
Pandaw
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The vessel that would one day
bear the name Pandaw was one of the
six boats commissioned after WWII,
with the same design of the pre-war
IFC vessels, for the Irrawaddy
Flotilla Company. After the Second
World War ended in 1945 and the
British returned to Burma (now
reverted to the original Burmese
name Myanmar), it was understood
that the country would gain her
independence soon and that the IFC
and other British-owned enterprises
like timber and oil would be
nationalised.
The vessels were commissioned in
1947 to the famous Yarrow & Co.
shipyard on the river Clyde of
Glasgow, at a period of time when
Scotland was the greatest
shipbuilding name in the world.
Then, the expression 'Clydebuilt'
was synonymous with shipbuilding
excellence.
The ship was boarded up to be
protected from sea waves and she
sailed for Rangoon (now reverted to
the original Burmese name Yangon) in
1950. By that time, Burma has been
independent for four years and the
IFC has been nationalised and turned
into the Inland Water Transport
Board. Many ex-flotilla men, but no
British, continued serving on their
beloved ships.
Her maiden voyage was on 12 January
1950 when she began the run between
Mandalay and Bahmo, carrying both
cargo and passengers.
The river run was and is necessary,
because the overland route by rail
or road remains time-consuming and
at times with more delays, when
bridges or roads are damaged by
monsoon rains. The river ride is
always pleasant and the view of the
Second Defile that lies between
Bahmo and Mandalay is spectacular.
 In 1998 a newly-setup Irrawaddy
Flotilla Company founded by art
historian Scotsman Paul Strachan
chartered her from the IWTB and
renovated her into a luxury cruise
ship with 16 cabins, operating the
boat on the Ayeyarwaddy River for
five years until 2003. In the same
year, a new charter was signed up by
Ayravata Cruises and the ship
underwent a major renovation at the
Dallah Dockyards near Yangon.
While retaining the many old touches
such as teak and ironwood decks, old
brass outfitting and the teak-walled
spacious cabins, additional features
were incorporated to make her
lovelier, more comfortable and safe,
a truly boutique-style cruise ship.
Specially-designed new furniture
replaced the old, new
air-conditioning, silent generators
plus new water de-sedimentation and
treatment systems installed. A new
Reverse Osmosis Water Purification
System and new cooking equipments
were brought for the kitchen. The
vessel is now equipped with a state
of the art fire detection system.
For a luxury touch, natural handmade
soap is installed in each shower and
essence burners in each cabin. The
menus were completely made over and
include such succulent fare for
dinner as roasted turkey with
mushroom sauce, and the lunch buffet
offers a variety of Western and
Asian cuisine including delectable
desserts.
New Year or Christmas trips and
special requests offer enchanting
firelit dinners on a sandy island
with wonderful food and traditional
dance and music entertainment by the
Bagan School of Arts.
The late board members of the
original IFC of the colonial times
would truly be proud if they could
see the excellent condition of the
modern-day Pandaw, in all her
loveliness.
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