Islamabad, 6 October 2022 (TDI): Pakistan Navy expects two Minehunters, naval vessels, from the Netherlands. Pakistan Navy is currently receiving two former Royal Netherlands Navy Tripartite Class Minehunters.
The ships HNLMS Middelburg (M858) and HNLMS Haarlem (M853) are arriving through the UHL FAME in Zeebrugge, Belgium.
The transport ship UHL FAME is presently near Italy on its way to Egypt. The delivery ship will reach Pakistan by the end of October. The minehunters will be operational by the following month.
Minehunter
A minehunter is a type of naval vessel that searches, identifies, and eliminates hostile naval mines. Moreover, a minehunter detects and classifies objects using imaging sonar before dispatching divers or remotely controlled vehicles to assess and destroy the danger.
Furthermore, minehunters are often soundproofed by intensifying machinery on shock absorbers to decrease magnetic signature and to minimize their own acoustic and magnetic signatures, two common forms of mine trigger.
Pakistan Navy Ships
Previously, the Netherlands had signed a deal with the Pakistan Navy to sell two former Royal Netherlands Navy Tripartite Class Minehunters (Alkmaar Class in the Netherlands). Hence, the delivery of HNLMS Haarlem and HNLMS Middelburg was part of the deal with the Pakistan Navy.
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The Pakistan Navy currently possesses three Tripartite Class minehunters bought from France (locally known as Munsif Class). Notably, the Tripartite Class is a 630-tonne minehunter built in collaboration between France, the Netherlands, and Belgium.
For mine-clearing tasks, Pakistani ships use Elesco MKR 400 acoustic sweeps and MKR 960 magnetic sweeps. In addition, the ships have a range of 5,600 km. They have two 12.7 mm machine guns and a 20 mm model F2 cannon for naval defense.
Lastly, the Atlas Elektronik INCMS battle data system, Thales 2022 Mk III hull-mounted sonar, Atlas Seafox Mine Identification, and Disposal System, and a Double Eagle Mk III Mod 1 ROV have also been added to the Alkmaar Class.
