Analysis of recent imagery along with other sources suggests Pakistan procured a new intelligence gathering vessel from China in 2023. This development fits into a broader trend of growing military cooperation between China and Pakistan. China has been a major supplier of military hardware to Pakistan for many years, and this new vessel is likely to further enhance Pakistan’s intelligence-gathering capabilities in the region.
It is understood that the ship is PNS Rizwan (A294). The vessel boasts three distinctive domes believed to house advanced tracking systems and radars, potentially assembled with the help of Chinese technicians.
Delivered to the Pakistan Navy in June 2023, the PNS Rizwan arrived at its Karachi base on June 26th after a journey through Indonesian waters. The vessel is meant for monitoring and data acquisition in IOR. It was constructed at Fujian Mawei Shipbuilding Ltd.Fuzhou, China. Despite PNS Rizwan’s operational discretion—evidenced by its avoidance of publicly broadcasting its AIS (Automatic Identification System) signal during missions—its movement from China to Indonesia between May and June 2023 was documented by open-source maritime data provider Marinetraffic.com.
This acquisition is part of a broader military and strategic collaboration pattern between Pakistan and China, underscoring their aligned interests in the Indian Ocean Region.
This new addition puts Pakistan in a select group of nations, with only 14 others currently operating similar intelligence-gathering ships, including neighbouring India.
March 14, 2024