KARACHI: The keel laying ceremony for a 32-tonne and 34-metre-long bollard pull (BP) tugboat being built for the Pakistan Navy was held at the Karachi Shipyard and Engineering Works (KS&EW) on Friday.

The boat with the displacement of 481 tonnes and a maximum speed of 12 knots is fitted with a robust marine rubber fender for tugging almost all sizes of ships and craft.

Deputy Chief of Naval Staff (Projects) Vice Ad­­miral Arifullah Hussaini, who was chief guest at the ceremony, appreciated the achievement and said that construction of the BP tug was indeed a clear manifestation of Pakistan Navy’s vision to pursue self-reliance in ship construction.

He acknowledged all out support of the Ministry of Defence Production and the strenuous efforts of the Karachi Shipyard towards attaining this goal.

Vice Admiral Arifullah Hussaini said Pakistan Navy was pursuing new inductions of platforms with a focus on indigenous vessels and was continuously awarding contracts to the KS&EW for construction of ships.

Published in Dawn, May 20th, 2017