Pakistan Navy News

Pakistan's navy said on Wednesday it will host 50 countries for regular maritime exercises that are held every two years involving ships, aircraft and special operation forces from Feb. 10-14.At a news briefing, Commander of the Pakistan Fleet, Vice Admiral Ovais Ahmed Bilgrami commented on the importance of the exercises in light of piracy, terrorism, narcotics and arms trafficking, and climate change.(Reuters - Reporting by Akhtar Soomro, writing by Ariba Shahid, editing by Andrew Heavens and Bernadette Baum)

The Pakistan navy’s seventh biennial multinational “Aman” (peace) exercise in Pakistani waters aimed at fostering international cooperation to fight piracy, terrorism and other crimes threatening maritime security concluded on Tuesday.Around 45 navies, including those of the United States, Britain and China, took part in the Arabian Sea exercise with ships and observers.“The purpose of this exercise to bring regional and extra-regional navies on one platform and conduct exercises to enhance intra-operability in addition to counter terrorist threat and the crime which are happening in maritime

The Pakistan Navy commissioned its new Corvette PNS Tabuk at the Port of Constanta, Romania, on Thursday.The ship, a Damen OPV 1900, is part of a two vessel order with Damen, signed by the Pakistan Ministry of Defense in 2017. Both ships are built at Damen Shipyards Galati in Romania. The first vessel, PNS Yarmook, joined the Pakistan Navy’s fleet in February this year.Like her sister vessel, PNS Tabuk is a multipurpose, highly adaptable platform, capable of performing a wide variety of operations in a complex maritime environment.

Damen Shipyards Group signed a contract with Karachi Shipyard & Engineering Works (KS&EW) for the materials package of a third ASD Tug 2009 under the Damen Technical Cooperation (DTC). The order follows a contract of two ASD Tugs 2009 signed in July 2019. KS&EW are building all three vessels with Damen’s support.Construction of the first two vessels is now underway, following a steel cutting ceremony held on October 11, in Karachi. The two shipyards have been working together…

Dutch shipbuilding conglomerate Damen Shipyards Group signed a contract with Karachi Shipyard & Engineering Works (KS&EW) for a Damen Technical Cooperation (DTC) Material Package.The contract will see KS&EW constructing two Damen ASD Tugs 2009 with Damen’s support, said the company which operates 36 shipbuilding and repair yards.The contract was signed on behalf of KS&EW by General Manager Shipbuilding Commodore (R) Saleem Iqbal SI(M) and by regional director Teun Haverkort on behalf of Damen.Both shipyards have been working together since 1988 and have successfully delivered numerous vessels to various clients in Pakistan.The ASD Tug 2009 is a proven, standardised design featuring sea-keeping behavior, superb manoeuvrability and outstanding towing characteristics.

Pakistan Customs has taken delivery of two Damen Stan Patrol 1605 FRP patrol boats. The handover ceremony took place on March 10 at Karachi Shipyard & Engineering Works Ltd (KS&EW). The celebrationwas attended by distinguished guests including Dr Miftah Ismail, advisor to the Prime Minister on Finance, Revenue & Economic Affairs, Mr. Iftikhar Ahmed, Collector Pakistan Customs, Rear Admiral Syed Hasan Nasir Shah, Managing Director of KS&EWand Mrs. ArdiStoios-Braken, the Ambassador of the Kingdom of the Netherlands to the Islamic Republic of Pakistan. The vessels were built by KS&EWwith technical and material support from Damen.The entire project took just eight months and was completed successfully thanks to the high level of cooperation and trust between the two partners.

HMAS Newcastle has marked her second Operation MANITOU patrol with a dual replenishment at sea in the Gulf of Aden with USNS Kanawha and Pakistan Navy Ship Alamgir. The resupply presented Newcastle with the opportunity to operate with another Oliver Hazard Perry class (called Adelaide class in Australia) ship, in Alamgir. Newcastle’s embarked MH-60R Seahawk Romeo helicopter launched to record the evolution from the air and for Seaman Boatswain Ben Robertson, it was another highlight in what has so far been “a surreal experience” on operational deployment. “To stand there, so incredibly close to a gigantic American replenishment ship with a cool warship on the other side was just unbelievable,” Seaman Robertson said.

The Chinese government will supply eight modified diesel-electric attack submarines to Pakistan by the year 2028, reports Sputnik. Four of the subs would be constructed in China and the rest in Pakistan. Shaikh Rohail Asghar head of the National Assembly’s Standing Committee on Defence said the Pakistan Navy had inked a contract with China for submarines according to which the latter will construct four submarines in China and supply them to the Pakistan Navy in mid 2022-23. The remaining four submarines will be constructed in Pakistan at the Karachi Shipyard and these will be handed over to the Pakistan Navy in 2028. In April, a senior Pakistan Navy official announced that Karachi Shipyard & Engineering Works (KSEW) had secured a contract to produce four of the eight submarines…

The Turkish defense firm Defense Technologies and Engineering (STM) won the tender to modernize Pakistan's submarines against its French competitor DCNS, reports Daily Sabah. STM and Pakistan’s Ministry of Defence Production (MoDP) have concluded the deal to upgrade the Pakistan Navy’s three Agosta 90B  (aka Khalid-class) submarines. The upgrade will be carried out in Pakistan. STM noted that the first upgraded submarine will be delivered in “45 months.” This is likely a typo for ‘4-5 months.’ The remaining two, which are currently listed as optional, will be delivered to Pakistan within a year of one another. "Engineering exports will be initiated in our country for the first time in the field of submarines…

Pakistan is close to signing a $4 to $5 billion deal to buy eight submarines from China, the Financial Times said on Thursday, in what it added would likely be China's largest overseas arms sale. The Pakistan Navy says Islamabad has given the green light to the military's plan to purchase eight conventional submarines from China, reports Huanqiu, the Chinese-language website of China's nationalistic tabloid Global Times. Pakistan has been negotiating the submarine purchase with China since 2011, with initial plans to purchase six, and subsequently raising the number to eight. The plan is viewed as a means to address the country’s force imbalance with India.

The Vice Chairman of China's Central Military Commission General Fan Changlong has pledged to deepen maritime security and military technology cooperation during his meeting with the Pakistan Navy Chief Muhammad Zakaullah. Zakaullah said that Pakistan Navy and Chinese Navy are strengthening their existing maritime cooperation keeping in view the changing regional international scenarios. Zakaullah yesterday met with Admiral Wu Shengli, commander of the Navy of the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLAN) and said that the navies of Pakistan and China have been cooperating for decades. The navies of China and Pakistan have been always maintaining close contacts and keeping pragmatic cooperation in fields including exchange of visits…

Shipping in general and oil tankers in particular should increase levels of security to counter the threat of an increasingly likely terrorist attack, maritime security company MAST has warned. The company issued the warning after Al-Qaeda insinuated it could execute strategic attacks on chokepoints of oil shipments in its first issue of “Resurgence,” an English-language digital propaganda magazine posted to the terrorist group’s online forum Shamikh1.info. Whilst ISIS activity has been more recently featured in the western media, the resurgence of Al-Qaeda and affiliate organizations is occurring alongside some of the worlds’ most strategically vulnerable and crowded waterways.

A combined Australian and New Zealand operation 260 km off the coast of Africa has seized more than 5.6 metric tons of cannabis resin worth an estimated $280 million (AUD). The five day operation involved Royal Australian Navy frigate HMAS Toowoomba and a Royal New Zealand Air Force P-3K2 Orion which was called to assist in bad weather. During an exhaustive search this week, the Australian boarding party discovered cannabis resin in hessian bags stowed in a hidden compartment on the dhow.

Liverpool marine firm International Safety Products (ISP) is announcing major defense sector growth after securing a deal with the Pakistan Navy. The Bootle business has signed a contract to supply the Asian security force with more than 180 assault troop lifejackets. The specialized life preservers have a low profile and compact design for use in amphibious operations. ISP managing director John Rogers said the firm is witnessing rapid expansion in the defense sector. It follows other recent deals with U.K. Ministry of Defense (MoD) and the Royal Netherlands Navy.

Karachi Shipyard & Engineering Works Limited (KS&EW) say they have cut the keel of a 12-Ton Bollard Pull Pusher Tug being built for the Pakistan Navy at a ceremony attended in the shipyard by officials & dignitaries from Pakistan Navy, Government Authorities and KS&EW. The tug is 16.89 meter in length overall with a gross tonnage of 63 tons. It is fitted with a robust fendering arrangement for all round tugging operations for submarines ships and crafts. Managing Director of KS&EW…

As policy leaders wrapped up the Manama Dialog, an international security conference in Bahrain, maritime and naval leaders commenced their meetings in Abu Dhabi to discuss practical implementation of those policies and improving abilities of nations and partners to meet growing challenges to maritime security, safety and sovereignty. The IQPC Offshore Patrol Vessel conference at the Jumeirah at Etihad Towers in Abu Dhabi is being attended by naval, coast guard, security, and other maritime and military professionals.

For the third time in nearly five years, the Republic of Singapore Navy (RSN) has stepped down from a three-month command of the multi-national Combined Task Force (CTF) 151, after coordinating operations to deter and disrupt maritime organized crime in the Gulf of Aden as part of international counter-piracy efforts. The fact that there were no successful hijacking incidents in the CTF 151's area of responsibility during Singapore’s naval leadership is only part of the story of its success.

Guided-missile destroyer USS Pinckney (DDG 91), assigned to Combined Task Force (CTF) 151, disrupted a group of suspected pirates close to the Internationally Recommended Transit Corridor (IRTC), south of Yemen, Dec. 19. The Merchant Shipping Industry Best Management Practices, Version 4 (BMPv4) encourages merchant vessels to register with the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Organization (UKMTO) while transiting areas known to be high risk for piracy. At approximately 8:40 a.m.…

Pakistan's Naval Chief Admiral Muhammad Afzal Tahir Monday performed launching of first of four F-22P frigates is constructing for Pakistan Navy. The launch ceremony was attended by a high-ranking delegation from Pakistan Navy, Ambassador Source:  Pakistan Link

The Pakistan government has decided to upgrade the basic infrastructure for construction of commercial cargo ships and warships, including F-22 P frigates, in Karachi, according to a report on www.uniquepakistan.com. The government has allocated funds for the fiscal year 2007-08 and it has already dropped Karachi Shipyard & Engineering Works Limited (KSEW) from its proposed privatization list. It is envisaged that if shipbuilding projects for the Pakistan Navy, Karachi Port Trust (KPT)…

The U.S. Navy's Naval Air Systems Command has awarded Lockheed Martin a $186.5m Foreign Military Sale contract to continue providing mission system upgrades and sustainment work for seven P-3C Orion maritime surveillance aircraft for the Islamic Republic of Pakistan. Lockheed Martin will continue to support the Pakistan Navy's P-3C Upgrade Program, which began in March 2006. Lockheed Martin has delivered one upgraded surveillance aircraft, which was inducted into the Pakistan Navy in January. A second aircraft is expected to join the fleet in March. The modified P-3Cs will further enhance the Pakistan Navy's capabilities to conduct maritime surveillance in littoral and deep water environments, supporting anti-ship and anti-submarine warfare operations.

Pakistan’s navy inducted its first locally built submarine in an effort to bolster its marine force, according to an AP report. Pakistan has already built two Agosta submarines with help from France, this is reported to be the first submarine from local manufacturers. Pakistani President Gen. Pervez Musharraf was reportedly the chief guest at the launching ceremony of the Hamza submarine near the port city of Karachi on the shore of the Arabian sea. Pakistan’s navy has taken several steps in recent years to augment its marine force by adding submarines and other equipment. (Source: AP)

The inventory of Pakistan Navy is being strengthened while measures are being taken to make the navy a potent force, defense experts have said. Last year, the Pakistan Navy inked a deal with China for four state-of-the-art frigates besides inducting modern Agosta 90b submarines and enhancing the existing fleet of P-3C Orion surveillance aircrafts. The acquisition of four F-22P frigates would be an important step for the county’s maritime defence and experts hope that the first of the ships would be delivered in 2008. According to schedule, China State Shipbuilding Corporation would supply the ships from 2008 to 2013. The fourth warship would be built completely in Pakistan to transfer the technology.