Steel Cutting Ceremony of the Fleet Replenishment Vessel has been held at Pakistan’s Karaçi Shipyard following the one-year-long design procedure of STM. The agreement concerning this vessel and formed considering the needs of the Pakistani Naval Forces was signed in January 2013 between STM and Pakistani Ministry of Defence Production. To the Steel Cutting Ceremony  constituting one of the major stages of the project that was signed between STM and  Pakistani Naval Forces, Undersecretary for Defence Industries Mr. Murad Bayar, Turkey’s Ambassador to Pakistan Mr.  Sadık Babür Girgin, STM Chairman of the Board-Deputy Undersecretary for Defence Industries Dr.Faruk Özlü, Member of the Board-Undersecretariat for Defence Industries (SSM) Electronic Warfare Department’s Head Mrs.Elife Ünal, STM General Manager Recep Barut, Vice General Manager  Mr. Yavuz Bartu and Marine Projects Director  Mr. Savaş Onur and accompanying delegation attended.  On behalf of Pakistan, Pakistan Defence Production Minister Rana Tanveer, Ministry of Defence Ammunition Production Director Brigadier Adnan Nazir, Karaçi Shipyard’s General Manager Brigadier Syed Hasan Nasır Shah, Production Manager Commodore Saleem Iqbal, remained at the ceremony. 

In his speech at the ceremony at Karaçi Harbor Bayar stated that they wished to further improve cooperation with the friendly two nations Pakistan and Turkey and said; “We would like to develop our relations with Pakistan in defence production. Defence potential of both countries could be increased further through mutual cooperation. We have a lot in common and within this context Pakistan and Turkey should take steps for assuring the stability in the region. Today we witness more than merely the construction of a vessel, one of my dreams is coming true and we wish to take our cooperation to higher levels through various similar projects in near future. Currently, both of the countries are part of various military cooperation relations and with the start of this vessel’s construction a new page is opened in this respect”.