Damen Shipyards has conducted the keel-laying and steel-cutting ceremony to construct the Pakistani Navy’s new offshore patrol vessels (OPV) in Galati, Romania.
Pakistani Navy Chief of Naval Staff Adm. Muhammad Amjad Khan Niazi and other delegates from the country were present.
Damen Supervisory Board Member Annelies Damen also attended the event with other personnel from the company, the Romanian Navy, and Galati local administration.
Bolstering Indian Ocean Maritime Patrols
The program will see the construction of two Damen OPV 2600 multi-mission patrol vessels to support Pakistan in “safeguarding international trade routes from piracy and other threats.”
The vessels are expected to provide extended range, improved performance, and advanced communication capabilities.
The Pakistani Navy ordered the patrol ships due to its positive experiences operating the first two Yarmook-class OPV 2300 offshore patrol vessels, delivered in 2020.
The newer, larger 2600s are scheduled for delivery in 2024.
“These ships will act as force multipliers in enhancing the navy’s capability of safeguarding maritime frontiers and will offer more flexibility for the Regional Maritime Security Patrols in the Indian Ocean,” Niazi explained during the ceremony.
Damen OPV 2600
The OPV 2600 has a length of 98 meters (322 feet) and a 14-meter (46 feet) beam.
It has a fuel capacity of up to 300 cubic meters (300,000 liters) and is equipped with four 2,350-kilowatt main engines, two propellers, and a 450-kilowatt electric motor bow thruster.
The vessel has a displacement 2,600 tons and a maximum speed of 24 knots (45 kilometers/28 miles per hour).