The Fleet Tanker designed and developed by STM for the Pakistan Navy has entered the final phase of the programme. Built under the Turkish Defence Industry’s largest ever single naval vessel export project, the Fleet Tanker has completed its first sea trials, which were conducted in the Indian Ocean with great success.
The Fleet Tanker, which has been named PNS MOAWIN, is the brainchild of main contractor STM Savunma Teknolojileri Mühendislik ve Ticaret A.Ş., and was built at the Karachi Shipyard for the Pakistani Ministry of Defence Production to meet a requirement of the Pakistan Navy.
The Pakistan Fleet Tanker, Turkey’s largest ever single naval vessel export, has left its mark on history as one of the most unique indigenous projects ever undertaken, and has been a catalyst in the improvement of military cooperation between two friendly and brother countries. The success achieved in this programme has been an important factor in the awarding of STM with the the Agosta 90B Submarine Modernisation Project in Pakistan.
Although it is the first of its kind in its class, and a product with a brand new design together with the production data pack and technical support provided by STM, the Fleet Tanker PNS MOAWIN, built at the Karachi Shipyard in Pakistan (KS&EW), managed to complete its sea trials successfully, leaving the Port of Karachi and arriving in the Indian Ocean on March 31, 2018.
Aboard the Fleet Tanker for its first cruise were the crew and Pakistani Shipyard personnel, as well as 30 personnel from STM and a number of representatives from other Turkish companies that are subcontracted to STM in this programme.
PNS MOAWIN continued its sea trials on April 4–5, during which the fleet tanker’s critical systems were tested, even under night conditions – exceeding the expected performance. PNS MOAWIN returned to the Karachi Shipyard after completing the tests successfully. Although the sea trials of the Fleet Tanker will continue, the results achieved in the first tests are already a source of pride in the cooperation between Pakistan and the Turkish Defence Industry.
The Pakistan Fleet Tanker Project has been supported by the devoted efforts and highly motivated cooperation of the Pakistan Navy and Karachi Shipyard personnel, all of whom have played a significant role in the programme’s success.
