Locally-built bollard pull tug handed over to navy

The Karachi Shipyard has handed over an indigenously built 32 T bollard pull tug to the Pakistan Navy on Monday.

The spokesman for the Pakistan Navy said that the handing over ceremony of the tug built for the navy was held at Karachi Shipyard and Engineering Works (KS&EW). Rear Admiral Ather Mukhtar HI (M), deputy chief of naval staff (project), graced the occasion as chief guest.

The tug has a 34-meter overall length with a displacement of 481 tons. It has the maximum speed of 12 knots and propelled by 2 x diesel engines and same number of azimuth thrusters. It is fitted with a very robust fendering arrangement for all-round tugging operations of almost all sizes of ships and crafts of the Pakistan Navy.

On the occasion, the chief guest said that this project is indeed a loud manifestation of the vision of the Pakistan Navy to pursue self-reliance in the field of ship construction. He appreciated the Ministry of Defence Production and Karachi Shipyard for their valuable contribution towards attaining the goal of self-reliance in the field of ship-building.

He said that Karachi Shipyard is one of the few public sector industries which has made a remarkable turnaround in the last decade and is playing a pivotal role in supporting all components of the national maritime sector.

Earlier, KS&EW MD Rear Admiral Ather Saleem SI(M), in his welcome address, thanked the Pakistan Navy and the MoDP for their continued support. He said that this project had been completed with self-sufficiency in all phases of construction and no foreign assistance had been sought.

He also briefed about the ongoing shipbuilding, ship repair and general engineering activities at the KS&EW. He said that each and every worker of Karachi Shipyard was ready, prepared and committed to completing all assigned projects on time while meeting international quality standards.

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