Pakistan Navy Fleet Tanker is Launched in Karachi
Built for the Pakistan Navy by primary contractor STM, the Pakistan Navy Fleet Tanker is the biggest one-time warship export from Turkey’s defense industry, making its maiden voyage in a ceremony organized to honor Pakistan’s independence day. Pakistan Prime Minister Mr. Nawaz Şerif, Undersecretary of Defense Industries Prof. İsmail Demir, STM board members, STM General Manager Mr. Davut Yılmaz and military officials of both countries were in attendance at the ceremony.
STM, an organization providing turnkey projects such as domestic & foreign surface and underwater ship projects, military shipyards and modernization facilities, intends to become a pioneer in naval engineering, design and system exports. In this perspective, STM’s latest project the ‘Fleet Tanker’, was originally designed and developed for the Pakistan Navy, and was recently launched in the port of Karachi, Pakistan.
Due to the malicious terrorist attack in Elazığ, Turkey, Minister of Defense Mr. Fikri Işık was unable to participate the ceremony. In the absence of the Minister, Undersecretary for Defense Industries (SSM), Prof. İsmail Demir performed the opening speech. Speaking during the launch of Pakistan’s largest warship fleet tanker, Prof. Demir said “I’m delivering congratulations, greetings and good wishes of our President, our Prime Minister and our Minister of Defense. Expressing his thanks to STM and Karachi Shipyard, the two main organizations that contributed to this project; Prof. Demir said that the collaboration between the two countries will continue, and hoped that more ships will be built in the future.”
Prof. Demir: “Turkey has to step forward in the Foreign Market as a World-Brand with High-Added Value Product”
Stating that the construction of the fleet tanker has opened the door for future collaboration between Turkey and Pakistan in the field of battleship construction, and the improvement of the other defense projects, Prof. Demir said Turkey’s defense exports target is to increase the current figure to $ 5 billion. “The greatest potential in this point will be achieved through the export of our indigenous products. Without doubt, we have to enhance the figures and quantities of the exports of warships, aircraft, naval units, unmanned aerial vehicles and, etc. In order to achieve this goal, we have to shift our defense industry to a high-value added manufacturing level and place Turkey among world brands in foreign markets” Undersecretary Prof. Demir said. “Since 2009, when the Export Strategy Document was published, we have been applying the necessary strategies to promote and support an increase in the defense industry. During all these times, our President, our government and our Minister’s utmost interest and support to our industry, encourages us to reach our goals. In this sense, the Pakistan Navy Fleet Tanker would be a symbol of the Turkish Defense Industry’s success.” Prof. Demir added.
An Important Step for the Turkish Defense Industry
The Fleet Tanker, which will also lead to further mutual defense projects, was designed in Turkey by STM to meet the Pakistan Navy’s needs for Class Notation. Manufacturing and outfitting of the ship was done by Karachi Shipyard by using the technical data package and ship building equipment /device /systems dispatched to Pakistan by STM.
STM General Manager Mr. Davut Yılmaz noted that being the biggest one-time warship export from Turkey’s defense industry, the Pakistan Fleet Tanker Project is a threshold in the Turkish defense industry and added “In the past, the ships were designed by German companies, the components and equipment’s were sent to Turkey and we would have only performed the welding and mounting operations of the ships.” Pointing out that, at the moment, Turkey is capable of performing all these operations in-house locally, from design to ship building, Mr. Yılmaz said this is crucial situation to show the progress we have achieved in process engineering and technology development. A concrete example of all these developments is the contract we had signed two months ago with Pakistan’s Ministry of Defense Production for the mid-life upgrade of their Agosta 90B-class submarine.” I hereby would like to share that within a very short time STM will announce another important accomplishment that will bring a smile to our country.”
Turkish Companies are Tapping into New Markets within this Program
STM has given technical courses to officers, civil directors, engineers and workers of Karachi Shipyard as part of the design training as indicated in the project and still continues to give training to Pakistan Navy personnel on ship and ship systems maintenance and repair.
On the other hand, thanks to STM, a significant number of Turkish companies had taken part in the Pakistan Fleet Tanker Project, especially due to STM’s industrialization experience that was gained during the MILGEM project. STM has also played a leading and decisive role in using genuine products manufactured by Turkish defense and ship building industries.
STM is to play a Major Role in the Upgrade of Pakistan’s Agosta 90B Class Submarine
Following the Navy Fleet Tanker Project, STM has also recently won a contract for the mid-life upgrade of Pakistan’s one Agosta 90B-class diesel-electric attack submarine. The deal was inked on June 22 in the Pakistani city of Rawalpindi between Pakistan’s Ministry of Defense Production and STM. Additionally, STM has been in contact with the related parties in order to develop a new corvette project, like MİLGEM, in order to meet the needs of the Pakistan Navy.
About the Fleet Tanker
The Fleet Tanker, weighing 15,600 tons and approximately 155 meters in length, can achieve speeds of 20 knots with two propellers with adjustable blade angle powered by two diesel motors. Electrical power for the ship will be provided by four diesel generators. With its Replenishment/Fueling-at-sea systems (RAS/FAS), the ship will support the Pakistan Navy’s combat/auxiliary elements by transferring critical equipment such as fuel/water and ammunition to them at sea during operation, thus increasing their operational capability.
The ship also has the capability of executing day and night helicopter landing/takeoffs.
Approximately 5.600 tons of sheet metal, 750 tons of profiles, 290 tons of welding rods, 25.000 meters of pipe, 15.000 meters of hydraulic circuit, 2.200 meters of air conditioning ducts, 10.000 meters of cable channels, 230.000 meters of electric cables, 200 tons of paint and 50 tons of insulation material was used during the ship’s building and outfitting.
