Pakistan Navy inducts Damen-built corvette PNS Yarmook

Islamabad: Pakistan Navy has inducted a state-of-the-art corvette, Pakistan Navy Ship (PNS) Yarmook, at a ceremony held in Karachi on Monday.

The offshore patrol vessel (OPV) built by Dutch company Damen was commissioned in February 2020 at Constanta Port, Romania. The second vessel PNS Tabuk is expected to join the Pakistan Navy fleet towards the end of this year.

Chief of the Naval Staff (CNS0 Admiral Zafar Mahmood Abbasi, termed the induction of PNS Yarmook as an “important milestone for Pakistan Navy”. Addressing the ceremony attended by senior naval officers, Admiral Abbasi said the new vessel would “significantly act as a force multiplier to safeguard the maritime interests of Pakistan”. The Admiral emphasised that the ship would contribute towards achieving sustained maritime order through Pakistan Navy Regional Maritime Security Patrols (RMSP) initiatives.

Variety of naval operations

PNS Yarmook is an advanced warship “with an effective amalgam of weapons and sensors possessing cutting-edge, self-protection and terminal defence systems” constructed at Damen Shipyards in Romania, according to the official statement. The ship, based on a Damen OPV 1900, is capable of performing a variety of naval operations and can transport both a helicopter and unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) simultaneously.

The ship can launch two high-speed RHIBs (rigid-hulled inflatable boats) of 11.5 metres and 6.5 metres at once and can accommodate two 20-foot equivalent units (TEUs) for special mission-based operations.

Pakistan Navy will use the corvette for peacetime patrolling and conventional wartime operations. Pakistan’s Ministry of Defence Production had signed a deal with Dutch contractor Damen Shipyards Group in 2017 for two offshore patrol vessels.

The Damen offshore patrol vessel range has been developed for navies and coastguards to accomplish a variety of missions, including military security, safety and humanitarian tasks.