Naval Chief performs groundbreaking of 3rd Force Protection Battalion’s building

KARACHI: The groundbreaking ceremony of the new building for 3rd Force Protection Battalion of Pakistan Navy was held at Gwadar on Wednesday.

According to a press release, Chief of the Naval Staff, Admiral Muhammad Zakaullah was the chief guest of the ceremony.

Upon his arrival, he was received by Commander Coast, Rear Admiral Abdul Aleem.

The 3rd Force Protection Battalion is an operational segment of Pak Marines and was raised in March 2013 for protection of Gwadar Port as well as offshore infrastructure including sensitive installations in the city and at coastal belt.

The Battalion is capable of conducting anti-amphibious operations, humanitarian assistance & amp; disaster relief operations in its area of responsibility.

In addition to 3rd FP Battalion, Pakistan Navy has also raised the Task Force 88 in December, 2016 for seaward security of Gwadar Port and the approaches.

The viability and assured dividends of CPEC related projects are intrinsically linked with the security of maritime domain.

In this regard, ensuring maritime security remains an important responsibility of Pakistan Navy which is set to grow in the coming years.

Accordingly, Pakistan Navy is gearing up to meet this challenge.

Speaking on the occasion, the Chief of the Naval Staff said that the importance in terms of security of entire coast in general and Gwadar port in particular has been increased manifold due to the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) project.

He reaffirmed commitment of Pakistan Navy to provide infallible security to the vital PN assets and installations along the western coast and as well as maritime components of CPEC.

During his visit to the installations of Pakistan Navy at Coastal belt of Balochistan, the Admiral had meetings with the officers and sailors of Pakistan Navy deployed at Gwadar and Ormara and lauded their high morale and dedication in defence of maritime frontiers of Pakistan.

The inauguration ceremony was attended by notables of local community, a large number of naval personnel and representatives from sister services.