Damen, a shipbuilder located in the Netherlands, has provided additional information about the OPV 2600-based vessels it is constructing for the Pakistan Navy.
The country’s Yarmook-class patrol ships were followed by an order for two vessels, the first of which was put down on July 15 at the Damen shipyard in Galati, Romania.
Two patrol ships from the Yarmook class, which were put into service in February and November of 2020, are used by the Pakistan Navy.
Damen Shipyards also constructed the PNS Yarmook and PNS Tabuk at its Galati site.
The hull draught of the Yarmook class is 4 metres, and it has an overall length of 91 metres, a beam of 14 metres, and a displacement of roughly 2,300 tonnes.
On its flight deck, it has space for a medium sized helicopter and 138 crew members.
Given the Yarmook class’s overall length of 98 metres, beam of 14.4 metres, and design draught of 4 metres, a Damen spokesperson has acknowledged that the follow-on boats have larger dimensions in answer to questions from Janes.
Its displacement will be around 2,600 tonnes, and it has room for a crew of 60 plus an additional 36 people.
The ship’s typical range at 12 knots will be around 6,000 nautical miles.
The contract for the two vessels was signed in June 2017, with the first corvette expected to enter service by the end of 2019, and the second one set to be delivered by mid-2020, according to Pakistan Navy sources.
According to senior Pakistan Navy officials, these platforms “will act as force multipliers in enhancing [the] navy’s capability of safeguarding maritime frontiers and will offer more flexibility in the conduct of [the] Pakistan Navy’s initiative of independent Regional Maritime Security Patrols in the Indian Ocean Region”.
The multirole corvettes have been previously described by the PN as “state-of-the-art vessels” especially suited for anti-surface, anti-air, and maritime security operations.
Each of them features a helicopter pad to facilitate search-and-rescue missions, as well as surveillance and intelligence-gathering operations. No further details were provided about the systems or weapons set to be fitted onto the class.
The new vessels highlight the country’s drive to expand and modernise its naval capabilities.
Editor