Steel cutting ceremony of OPV-II for Pakistan Navy held in Romania

KARACHI: Steel Cutting Ceremony of 2nd Offshore Patrol Vessel (OPV-II) being constructed for Pakistan Navy was held at M/S DAMEN Shipyard Galati, Romania. Ambassador of Pakistan to Romania Safdar Hayat graced the occasion as the chief guest. The ceremony was also attended by Deputy Chief of the Naval Staff (Operations) Rear Admiral Faisal Rasul Lodhi, along with officials from the Ministry of Defence Production and Naval Headquarters. Senior management of M/S DAMEN Shipyards, Gorinchem (Netherlands) and Galati (Romania) were also present during the ceremony.

The contract for the second state of the art, multi-purpose Offshore Patrol Vessels (OPV-I & II) for Pakistan Navy, was signed between the Ministry of Defence Production and M/S DAMEN, the Netherlands in 2017. OPVs will significantly enhance the combat capabilities and capacity for peace and wartime operations of Pakistan Navy.

Speaking on the occasion, the chief guest highlighted that 14t August is a historic and important day for Pakistan as Pakistan is celebrating its 71st Independence Day. On this auspicious day, steel cutting ceremony of 2nd OPV has added more colour to national celebrations. The ambassador further highlighted that after induction, both OPVs will further augment the initiative of Pakistan Navy for independently conducting regional maritime security patrol of Indian Ocean region for protection of national and international shipping against threats of maritime terrorism, piracy, narcotics, arms smuggling and human trafficking, etc.