Case Study: Mahachai Dockyard launches the Wonderful Pearl dinner cruise vessel with Cummins Marine engines

Dinner Cruise Vessel for Chao Phraya River

Mahachai Dockyard, a Thailand-based shipbuilder, needed a reliable marine power package for its new luxury dinner-cruise vessel, the Wonderful Pearl, designed to operate on the shallow Chao Phraya River. The challenge was to fit a larger, more upscale restaurant boat within strict draft and air-draft limits while supporting heavy onboard electrical demands for dining, lighting, air conditioning, escalators, and other amenities. Cummins provided the propulsion and power equipment for the project, including marine engines and generator sets.

Cummins solved the need with a pair of KTA38 M1 propulsion engines, each rated at 1000 HP, and two KTA19-powered 350 kW generator sets to supply onboard electricity. The result was a 65 x 16-meter vessel able to carry up to 700 guests across two decks, combining strong shallow-water performance with the luxury features needed for premium river dining. Cummins helped enable a larger, more capable dinner-cruise experience on Bangkok’s Chao Phraya River.

Mahachai Dockyard

Sakchai Rujiphapra

Director