China exports 'largest warship yet' to Pakistan

Beijing: Chinese mouthpiece Global Times has announced the delivery of the 'largest and most advanced warship China has ever exported' to Pakistan in a move it says highlights the friendship between the two countries and will prompt further cooperation in the coming years. The new warship has been named 'Tughril' according to a statement made by the Pakistani Navy.

The Type 054A/P frigate was developed and constructed by the China State Shipbuilding Cooperation Limited. A ceremony was held in Shanghai to announce the hand-over of the frigate to the Pakistani Navy the CSSC announced.

The PNS Tughril is the first hull of four Type 054 frigates being constructed for the Pakistan Navy, the Pakistan Navy said, noting that the ship is a technologically advanced and highly capable platform with enormous surface-to-surface, surface-to-air and underwater firepower, besides extensive surveillance potentials," the Global Times reported.

The Pakistani Navy has praised the ship's 'modern defence capabilities' and state-of-the-art combat technology which will aid Pakistan in military and surveillance endeavours and maritime missions in a 'multi-threat environment'. Pakistani Ambassador to China Moin ul Haque said that the commissioning of the PNS 'Tughril' ushers in a new chapter in Pakistan-China friendship that has matured through the test of time and remained steadfast in all domains, according to the statement from the Pakistan Navy.

Commodore Rashid Mehmood Sheikh said that the PNS Tughril, being a multi-mission capable frigate, will form the mainstay of the Pakistan Navy fleet while bolstering the Pakistan Navy's maritime defence capabilities, according to the Pakistani statement.