The Pakistan Navy held an induction ceremony for a dredging vessel and its accompanying two barges at the naval dockyard in Karachi on March 15.
The backhoe dredger Rah Kusha and split hoper barges – Tarseel 1 and 2 – were built for the Pakistan Navy at the Tianjin Shipyard, in China.
Dredger Rah Kusha is joining another Chinese-built dredging vessel in service with the Pakistan Navy, the MV Behr Kusha which has been in service since 2008.
The commissioning ceremony was attended by high ranking officials and dignitaries from China, Pakistan Navy and the corporate sector.
According to the navy, the BHYD Rah Kusha will enhance the service’s capability of dredging in proximity of jetties and berths where other conventional dredging means are less effective.
Speaking at the commissioning ceremony, Pakistan Navy Vice Admiral Kaleem Shaukat, Vice Chief of the naval staff, noted the importance of dredging operations for the maintenance of the country’s ports and waterways. He added that the introduction of the second dredging vessel would allow the navy to meet the objectives set forth for it.
Vice Admiral Shaukat also used the opportunity to highlight Pakistan-China bilateral defense cooperation “which is unparalleled and has always lived up to the expectations”.