On 12 September 2023, Damen Shipyards Galati in Romania held a launching ceremony for the PNS Hunain, one of a series of Offshore Patrol Vessels (OPV) 2600 that Damen is constructing for the Pakistan Navy. Damen was awarded the contract to build the vessel, following its successful delivery of the first two vessels, PNS Yarmook and PNS Tabuk in 2020. Attending the event as Chief Guest was Chief of the Naval Staff of the Pakistan Navy, Admiral Muhammad Amjad Khan Niazi NI (M) S BT. Also in attendance were other representatives of the Pakistan Navy, as well as representatives of the Romanian Government and Navy, members of the Pakistan community in Romania, and Damen.
During a speech to mark the event, the Chief Guest acknowledged Damen’s achievement in constructing the vessel in such a short space of time; a result of the company’s practice of building vessels according to proven designs. He highlighted the important role the vessel will undertake in securing maritime trade in the Indian Ocean region, and providing regional stability. Damen’s Chief Operations Officer, Marc van Heyningen, also delivered a speech at the ceremony, during which he thanked the Admiral for his attendance and highlighted the long-standing relationship between Damen and the Pakistan Navy.
Damen Regional Sales Director Stephan Stout, speaking after the launch, said, “It’s a proud moment for everyone involved in the project to see the vessel in the water for the first time. On behalf of Damen, I would like to thank the Pakistan Navy for continuing to place its trust in our company. I look forward to the commissioning phase of PNS Hunain and preparing the vessel for successful delivery and having her ready for the important work it will undertake in securing the seas of the Indian Ocean region.”
The Yarmook-class corvette is a class of offshore patrol vessel in service with the Pakistan Navy. The primary role of the class is to patrol the sea area. These older vessels each displace about 2,300 tonne at full load. The class has an overall length of 91 m, an overall beam of 14 m, and a hull draught of 4 m. The vessel can accommodate a crew complement of 138 and a medium helicopter on its flight deck. The follow-on vessels to the Yarmook class have larger dimensions given its overall length of 98 m, a beam of 14.4 m, and a design draught of 4 m. The new class will displace approximately 2,600 tonne and it can accommodate a crew complement of 60 with additional spaces for 36 personnel. The vessels will have a standard range of about 6,000 n mile at a cruising speed of 12 kt.
