The Pakistan Navy has held a steel-cutting ceremony for its fourth and final MILGEM class ship it is procuring under a transfer of technology agreement with Turkey.
The ceremony was held on June 15 at the Karachi Shipyard and Engineering Works plant.
The milestone comes almost exactly a year after Turkish shipbuilder Istanbul Shipyard, who is building the first two units in the class, started work on the first corvette.
Speaking on June 15, Chief of Naval Staff Admiral Muhammad Amjad Khan Niazi underscored the event as a defining moment between two nations. He also acknowledged the commitment and dedication of KS&EW and Turkey’s ASFAT for meeting challenging construction schedules despite the pandemic.
Construction and delivery of all four ships is expected to take place by 2024.
Pakistan’s MILGEM ships share design features with Ada-class corvettes built for the Turkish Navy as part of the MILGEM project. The corvettes measure 99.5 meters in length and employ the CODAG propulsion system.
In addition to the MILGEM corvettes, Pakistan is currently also procuring four Type 054A/P frigates from China and two offshore patrol vessels from Dutch shipbuilder Damen.
