Pakistani naval ship arrives in Shanghai on a goodwill visit and naval exercise
The ship will participate in a joint naval exercise to further boost defence cooperation with their Chinese counterpart
Published December 01, 2017
Pakistani Naval Ship SAIF arrived in Shanghai on a goodwill visit and to participate in a joint naval exercise to boost defence cooperation with China.
The naval ship was welcomed at the Wusong Naval Port by Pakistan’s Consul General in Shanghai Mr Naeem Khan, senior Captain Wei Xiaodong of PLA and officials of the government of Shanghai municipality.
On its arrival, a band of People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Navy played welcoming tunes. PNS SAIF is commandeered by Captain Shahzad Iqbal, Commander 18th Destroyer Squadron of Pakistan Navy.
Speaking on the occasion, Captain Iqbal highlighted the significance of the visit and brotherly relations between Pakistan and China. “We travelled more than 9,000 Nautical Miles from Pakistan to Shanghai. This distance will reduce manifold on completion of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor.”
Captain Iqbal added that PNS SAIF was built in 2010 in Shanghai and this was its first visit to Shanghai.
Captain Iqbal shared that the ship will participate in a bilateral naval exercise which he hoped would be advanced and meaningful. This would be the 5th Joint Naval Exercise in the series. Pakistan Navy and PLA Navy have longstanding relations.
On its journey to Shanghai from Pakistan, PNS SAIF docked in Colombo, Sri Lanka and Pattaya, Thailand. After Shanghai, it plans to visit ports in the Philippines and Malaysia.
The PNS - Saif is 123 meters long , 13.2 meters wide and 30.7 meters high. A total of 273 workers are on board, including 35 officers and 238 soldiers.
Captain Iqbal shared that the ship will participate in a bilateral naval exercise which he hoped would be advanced and meaningful. This would be the 5th Joint Naval Exercise in the series. Pakistan Navy and PLA Navy have longstanding relations.
On its journey to Shanghai from Pakistan, PNS SAIF docked in Colombo, Sri Lanka and Pattaya, Thailand. After Shanghai, it plans to visit ports in the Philippines and Malaysia.
The PNS - Saif is 123 meters long, 13.2 meters wide and 30.7 meters high. A total of 273 workers are on board, including 35 officers and 238 soldiers.
