Karachi Shipyard and Engineering Works (KSEW) handed over 32 T BP Tug to Pakistan Navy.

Deputy Chief of Naval Staff (Project) .Rear Admiral Ather Mukhtar, addressing ceremony said that this project was indeed a loud manifestation of vision of Pakistan Navy to pursue self reliance in field of ship’s construction.

He appreciated Ministry of Defence Production (MODP) and Karachi Shipyard for their valuable contribution towards attaining goal of self-reliance in field of ship building.

Karachi Shipyard is one of few public sector industries which has made a remarkable turnaround in last decade and is playing a pivotal role in supporting all components of national maritime sector, he remarked.

The Tug has a 34 meter overall length with a displacement of 481 tonnes. It has maximum speed of 12 knots and propelled by 2 x diesel engines and same number of Azimuth Thrusters. It is fitted with a very robust fendering arrangement for all round tugging operations of almost all sizes of ships and crafts of Pakistan Navy.

Earlier Managing Director, KSEW, Rear Admiral Ather Saleem in his welcome address thanked Pakistan Navy and MODP for their continued support. He said that this project has been completed with self sufficiency in all phases of construction and no foreign assistance has been sought.

He also briefed about ongoing shipbuilding, ship repair and general engineering activities at KSEW. He assured that each and every worker of Karachi Shipyard was ready, prepared and committed to complete all assigned projects on time while meeting international quality standards.

(Source: Daily Times)