‘Strong navy a must to address challenges’

Admiral Muhammad Zakaullah, chief of the naval staff, has said an efficient, strong and self-reliant navy is the need of the hour to capitalise on the maritime opportunities and address the related challenges. 

“Therefore, acquisition of a high speed missile craft with enhanced endurance and fire power is high on our agenda for attaining the capability to deliver a rapid response at sea,” he said on Friday. 

He was addressing as chief guest the commissioning and induction ceremony of a fast attack craft (missile), PNS Himmat, built at the Karachi Shipyard & Engineering Works Limited (KS&EW) for the Pakistan Navy. The ceremony was held at the Pakistan Navy Dockyard, Karachi.

The spokesman for the navy said PNS Himmat was a 63-metre fast attack craft fitted with state-of-the-art weapons and sensors.  One of the important achievements in this project is the installation of an indigenously built missiles system. The craft is also fitted with various other weapons and sensors for the manifestation of speed and lethality at par with any modern navy’s arsenal.

The naval chief mentioned that it was a landmark occasion when the second indigenously constructed fast attack craft was being inducted into the Pakistan Navy’s fleet. He said the successful construction of PNS Himmat at the Karachi Shipyard was a proud moment for the Pakistan Navy, KS&EW and China State Shipbuilding and Offshore Company. 

He categorically said that the trust and confidence posed by the navy on indigenously built platforms would also provide impetus to Pakistan’s defence exports. Emphasising the need for a secure maritime environment in the context of the CPEC, the naval chief stated that CPEC held a great promise for the progress of the country, but at the same time it had added a new dimension to the overall threat spectrum and to make the CPEC a success, “we have to be mindful of such threats”. 

He said Pakistan’s defence policy was based on “peaceful coexistence, but given the prevailing geo-strategic environment we cannot afford to lower our guard”. Earlier, KS&EW MD Rear Admiral Syed Hasan Nasir Shah, in his welcome address, said that this state-of-the-art ship was another landmark in the history of Pak-China cooperation in the field of defence production, as it had been built in collaboration with Pakistan’s Chinese friends, M/s China Shipbuilding & Offshore Company and Xingang Shipyard.

Presenting a brief overview of construction projects, he said that during the recent past, the KS&EW had successfully completed various projects for the Pakistan Navy. As a result, he added, the KS&EW had been awarded a number of other projects, including 17,000 tons fleet tanker, maritime patrol vessels, an indigenously designed fast attack craft (missile), 32 tons’ bollard pull tugs and a multi-purpose barge which were at various stages of construction. 

Shah said contracts of 3 x new projects had also been signed prior to the closing of the last financial year. The projects are a 3,000 tons’ survey ship, 1,900 tons’ OPVs for the Pakistan Navy and 2 x FRP boats for the Pakistan Customs.