Keel-laying ceremony of 32-ton tug being built for navy held

The keel-laying ceremony of 32-ton bollard pull (BP) tug being built for the Pakistan Navy was held at the Karachi Shipyard & Engineering Works (KS&EW), said a press release issued on Saturday.

Vice Admiral Arifullah Hussaini, deputy chief of naval staff (projects), was the chief guest on the occasion.

The tug has a 34-meter length with displacement of 481 tons and a maximum speed of 12 knots. It is also fitted with a very robust fendering arrangement for tugging operations of almost all sizes of ships and craft.

Speaking on the occasion,  the chief guest highly appreciated the achievement of this important milestone and said the construction of the 32-ton BP tug was “indeed a clear manifestation of PN vision to pursue self-reliance in ship  construction”. 

He acknowledged all-out support of the Ministry of Defence Production and strenuous efforts of the Karachi Shipyard towards attaining this goal.

Vice Admiral Arifullah Hussaini highlighted that the Pakistan Navy was “pursuing new inductions of platforms with focus on indegenisation and is continuously awarding contracts to KS&EW for construction of ships”. 

He said: “This will not only ensure timely availability of required ships for PN, but will also go a long way in consolidating the shipbuilding industry in Pakistan.”

Earlier, Rear Admiral Syed Hasan Nasir Shah, KS&EW MD, in his welcome address, said that a similar vessel was delivered to the PN in 2014 which was performing exceptionally good. 

He also gave a brief outlook of ongoing projects and said that the KS&EW was undertaking 9 x shipbuilding projects which included fleet tanker for the PN, MPVs for the Pakistan Maritime Agency, Fast Attack Craft (Missile), a multi-purpose barge for the PN and bridge erection boats for the Pakistan Army.  

He also thanked the Ministry of Defence Production and especially the Pakistan Navy for reposing confidence in the KS&EW.

The ceremony was attended by high-ranking officials from the Pakistan government, the navy, the corporate sector and the KS&EW.