The launching ceremony of the state-of-the-art 4^th Offshore Patrol Vessel, PNS YAMAMA, being built for the Pakistan Navy, took place at M/s DAMEN Shipyard Galati, Romania, on February 19, 2024. Vice Chief of the Naval Staff (VCNS), Vice Admiral Ovais Ahmed Bilgrami, graced the occasion as the Chief Guest.

Speaking on the occasion, VCNS underscored the significance of maritime security amidst conventional and non-conventional threats to energy and trade routes in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR). He emphasized PN’s substantial contribution to maintaining a safe sea environment for maritime trade. The Admiral expressed confidence that the induction of these multipurpose and highly adaptive platforms, equipped with state-of-the-art weapons and sensors, would enhance the combat capability of the PN Fleet in safeguarding maritime frontiers and ensuring security in the IOR, particularly in the Arabian Sea.

Earlier, during his welcome address, the Chief Operations Officer of M/s DAMEN Group Netherlands highlighted the historic relations between DAMEN Shipyard and PN since 1986. He affirmed that M/s DAMEN would persist in delivering cost-effective, technologically advanced, and potent ships to PN to fulfill their operational requirements. The launching ceremony witnessed the presence of high-ranking officials from the Romanian Government and Navy, PN, M/s DAMEN, and notable members of the Pakistani community in Romania.