Pandaw River Expeditions’ new RV Kalaw Pandaw has launched in Myanmar, unveiling a design draft of only 80cm which will enable it to operate in the region’s notoriously low water conditions. According to a statement from the company, the ultra shallow draft vessel “will be able to go where no...
Pandaw River Expeditions’
new RV Kalaw Pandaw has
launched in Myanmar, unveiling a
design draft of only 80cm which
will enable it to operate in the
region’s notoriously low water
conditions.
According to a statement from
the company, the ultra shallow
draft vessel “will be able to go
where no other river cruise ship
can go in Burma”.
While other ships struggle to
access the upper Chindwin and
Irrawaddy rivers at certain times
of year, the new K Class Kalaw
Pandaw is expected to allow
year-round access in these less
congested areas.
The 20-cabin two-deck ship
is also smaller than the rest of
Pandaw’s Myanmar fleet, except
for a yacht available for private
charters.
A sister ship, the Kindat
Pandaw, will be launched from
the Sinmalike shipyard in Yangon
in three weeks.
Both traditional-style teak and
brass vessels, built locally as exact
replicas of the 1920s Irrawaddy
Flotilla Company ships, offer
a choice of indoor or outdoor
bistro-style dining.
Outfitting will be completed
by May in time for deployment
upriver in Jul.
The company said: “Pandaw is
going back to how they started
nearly 20 years ago, offering real
river recess, utterly pioneering
experiences into areas that have
never seen tourists before.”
