Damen Shipyards Group has delivered the second in a series of two Offshore Patrol Vessels (OPV) 2600 to the Pakistan Navy. The vessel, named PNS Yamama, follows the delivery of the PNS Hunain in summer 2024. This latest delivery marks a milestone moment in a long-term relationship beginning with Damen’s earlier construction of the two Yarmook Class vessels, based on the Damen OPV 1900, in 2020. The handover ceremony for the PNS Yamama took place on 17th December at Constanta in Romania.
The second batch OPVs feature a displacement of 2600 tons and are 98 metres in length. They are suited to a wide range of maritime operations including maritime security and military operations other than war. The vessels are capable and equipped to undertake sustained operations in contested environments with resilience, flexibility and adaptability.
Front row from left to right: Captain Abdur Rehman (CNO Romania, Pakistan Navy), Stephan Stout (Regional Sales Director, Damen Shipyards)
Speaking during the ceremony, Vice Admiral Muhammad Faisal Abbasi, said, “The Offshore Patrol Vessels project is an ultimate success not only for Pakistan but for Damen, the Galati Shipyard and all co-makers involved in the conception, design, construction and commissioning of the four OPVs. I am confident that the collaboration between the Pakistan Navy and Damen will further extend to new avenues for shared gains.”
The OPV project has brought both the Pakistan Navy and Damen to new levels of enhanced cooperation in diverse fields. The delivery of the fourth OPV comes at a time of increasing collaboration as the two parties signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) during the International Defence Exhibition and Seminar (IDEAS) in Karachi in November.