KARACHI – Pakistan Navy held a keel-laying ceremony for second HANGOR Class Submarine at Karachi Shipyard & Engineering Works (KS&EW).
Chief of the Naval Staff, Admiral Naveed Ashraf graced the occasion as chief guest.
In a press release, Pakistan Navy said defence agreement between Islamabad and Beijing included the development of eight Hangor-class submarines including four under construction at Wuchang Shipbuilding Industry Group (WSIG) in China and the remaining four being built at KS&EW under the Transfer of Technology (ToT) agreement.
It said construction work of submarine to be made at KS&EW Pakistan commenced in late December 2023 and now the keel laying is being laid which is a major milestone in the history of any naval vessel being constructed.
Meanwhile, construction work on a subsequent submarine has started with its steel cutting at the same shipyard.
It said the watercraft is capable of undertaking a variety of missions as per operational dictates.
Addressing the keel laying ceremony, Chief of the Naval Staff Admiral Naveed Ashraf expressed profound pride in witnessing the progress of the Hangor-class submarine project.
He hailed the collaborative efforts of the Ministry of Defence Production, Pakistan Navy, Karachi Shipyard, and China Shipbuilding & Offshore International Co. Ltd (M/s CSOC) for their dedication to constructing state-of-the-art submarines.
Admiral Ashraf reiterated that indigenisation remains a top priority for Naval Headquarters, evident in the construction of these submarines at KS&EW.
