KARACHI: Keel laying ceremony of MILGEM Class Corvette for Pakistan Navy was held at Karachi Shipyard & Engineering Works (KS&EW) on Friday with Chief of the Naval Staff Admiral Muhammad Amjad Khan Niazi as Chief Guest.

Addressing the ceremony, the Naval Chief expressed that it is a matter of pride to witness the Keel laying of MILGEM Corvette in Karachi Shipyard being constructed in collaboration with M/s ASFAT of Turkey.

Admiral Amjad Khan Niazi highlighted that it is a historic occasion as Ministry of Defence Production, Pakistan Navy, Karachi Shipyard and M/s ASFAT of Turkey have joined hands for construction of two Corvettes in Pakistan while another two are under construction at Turkey. Naval Chief appreciated the performance of KS&EW and mentioned that indigenization is at the forefront of our policy and it is convincing to see state of the art warship being built in Pakistan.

Construction of corvettes in Pakistan is aimed to provide impetus to local ship building industry and to further enhance KS&EW capabilities. These ships are being constructed as per modern naval ship class standards and will be equipped with state of the art weapons & sensors including surface to surface, surface to air missiles and anti-submarine weapons. The addition of these ships would significantly add to lethality and operational capability of Pakistan Navy.

Earlier, the MD KS&EW Rear Admiral Ather Saleem presented performance of KS&EW and highlighted that the shipyard is fully cognizant and aligned with the goals set forth by Government and Pakistan Navy for self-reliance in Defence Shipbuilding Industry.

The Rear Admiral emphasized that deep rooted friendship with brotherly country Turkey for this mega project will open new vistas of further cooperation in the field of indigenous warship construction and other defence sectors in Pakistan. MD KS&EW also highlighted current production activities of KS&EW that include constructions for both inland and abroad projects.

The ceremony was attended by representatives of M/s ASFAT and other high ranking officials from GOP, Pakistan Navy, KS&EW and business community.