Pakistan Navy Launches 600 Tonnes Maritime Patrol Vessel

The Pakistan Navy has launched a 600 tonne maritime patrol vessel (MPV) for the Pakistan Maritime Security Agency (PMSA).

The vessel is "a multi-mission vessel with a steel hull and aluminum super structure," read a statement issued by the navy's media wing, adding that "the length of the vessel is 68.5 metres, breadth is 8.7 metres and it can achieve a top speed of 27 knots,” Dawn reported Tuesday.

"The ship is fully equipped to enforce maritime security [and] search and rescue missions in the maritime exclusive economic zone (EEZ) of Pakistan," it said. The launch ceremony was held at Karachi Shipyard and Engineering Works (KSEW).

The navy's media wing informed that the vessel was built with the technical collaboration of China Shipbuilding and Trading Company (CSTC).

Earlier, KSEW Managing Director Syed Hasan Nasir Shah said that the MPV is one of the six vessels to be constructed as a part of a contract between the Ministry of Defence Production and CSTC.