An Indian Navy warship and a Pakistan Navy offshore patrol vessel collided in the Arabian Sea on September 15.
According to Pakistan's Foreign Ministry, the incident occurred while the Pakistan Navy was conducting its biennial SEASPARK-26 exercise in Pakistan's exclusive economic zone (EEZ).
Pakistan said the Indian vessel carried out aggressive maneuvers in close proximity to a Pakistani naval ship, resulting in contact between the two vessels.
Pakistan's state broadcaster, citing the Foreign Office, stated the Indian warship, destroyer INS Kolkata, had been attempting to enter the area of the Pakistani naval exercise.
According to the report, the Indian ship continued what Pakistan described as dangerous maneuvers despite multiple warnings. The vessel allegedly changed course dangerously and collided with PNS Hunain. The Pakistani vessel attempted to avoid the contact.
The Pakistani Foreign Ministry said the incident violated international law and the 1991 bilateral agreement. It summoned India's chargé d'affaires in Islamabad and said Pakistan's chargé d'affaires in New Delhi would lodge a similar protest with India's Ministry of External Affairs.
Meanwhile, India's Ministry of External Affairs confirmed the collision occurred in international waters and did not cause any major damage.
According to the ministry, the incident resulted from what it described as the “unacceptable and unprofessional conduct” of Pakistani naval units at sea. India said the conduct of the Pakistani naval ship was in direct contravention of Article 10 of the 1991 agreement between India and Pakistan on advance notice of military exercises, maneuvers and troop movements.
"While the incident, which took place in international waters, did not cause any major damage, the conduct of the Pakistani naval ship was in direct contravention of Article 10 of the Agreement between India and Pakistan on Advance Notice on Military Exercises, Manoeuvres and Troops Movements of April 1991," the Indian statement reads.
The Pakistani unit involved in the collision, PNS Hunain, is an offshore patrol vessel built by Damen Shipyards Galati in Romania for the Pakistan Navy. The vessel was launched in September 2023 and commissioned in July 2024 at Constanta, Romania. It is one of a series of OPVs built for Pakistan, following PNS Yarmook and PNS Tabuk, which were delivered in 2020.
PNS Hunain is a multipurpose platform designed for maritime security and naval operations. According to the Pakistan Navy, the vessel can operate independently or as part of a task force and can embark a multirole helicopter.
INS Kolkata, the lead ship of the Indian Navy's Kolkata-class guided-missile destroyers, was built by Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders. The destroyer entered service in 2014 and is equipped for anti-air, anti-surface and anti-submarine warfare.