First corvette to be built for PN in Romania launched

Islamabad: Launching ceremony of first state-of-the art 2,300 tons corvette vessel being built for Pakistan Navy was held at M/s DAMEN Shipyard Galati, Romania. Chief of Staff (Personnel), Vice Admiral Abdul Aleem, graced the occasion as chief guest.

Corvettes are multi-purpose platforms of medium size and tonnage. Subsequent to the signing of contract for construction of two corvettes for Pakistan Navy in 2017, the first ship is expected to join the Pakistan Navy Fleet by end of this year and the second would be delivered by mid-2020.

Speaking on the occasion, the chief guest underscored the importance of corvettes in the maritime domain. He further added that these platforms will act as force multipliers in enhancing navy’s capability of safeguarding maritime frontiers and would offer more flexibility in the conduct of Pakistan Navy’s initiative of independent regional maritime security patrols in the Indian Ocean region. The chief guest also lauded the professionalism of M/s DAMEN Shipyards and cooperation in delivering cutting edge technologies to Pakistan Navy in the form of corvettes.

The launching ceremony was also attended by Chief Naval Overseer (Romania), senior management of M/s DAMEN Shipyards, Gorinchem & Galati and Pakistan Navy officials.