Pakistan and Netherlands on Monday signed a contract for indigenous construction of offshore patrol vessel (OPV) at Karachi Shipyard and Engineering Works (KS&EW) Ltd. The contract was signed by MD KS&EW Rear Admiral Hasan Nasir Shah, DMP Navy Cdre Shafqat Azad SI(M) and representative of Messrs Damen, Netherlands in Ministry of Defence Production, Rawalpindi. Ambassador of Netherlands to Pakistan, Jeannette Seppen also graced the occasion.
The OPV will have Full Load Displacement of 1900 Tons (approx), with overall length of 90 m and maximum speed of 22knots. It is a state of the art vessel which is especially suited for Anti Surface, Anti Air Operations, Maritime Security Operations (MSO), Day and Night Helicopter Operations, Combat Search and Rescue (CSAR) and Surveillance and Intelligence Gathering Operations.