Pakistan Navy's PNS Hunain: 5 facts about Yarmook Class Corvette

India summoned the Pakistan Chargé d'Affaires after a collision incident involving a Pakistani Navy vessel and an Indian ship was reported.

"The CDA was summoned to the Ministry of External Affairs today and a strong protest was lodged with him over the unacceptable and unprofessional conduct of Pakistani naval units at sea that led to a collision with a unit of the Indian Navy," the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said.

"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," it said.

It was a Hunain-class corvette of the Pakistan Navy that reportedly collided with an Indian Navy frontline warship 220 km east of the Oman coast in the North Arabian Sea. Here are five things to know about the Pakistan Navy's sea area patrol corvette that was involved in the incident:

1. PNS Hunain (F-273) is a Yarmook-class corvette that was built by Damen Shipyards in Galați, Romania. PNS Yarmook, PNS Tabuk, and PNS Yamama are the other vessels of the same class currently with the Pakistan Navy. PNS Hunain was the third to be inducted into service following its commissioning in July 2024.

2. According to available information, the Yarmook-class corvettes of the Pakistani Navy are multi-role vessels designed for coastal defence and patrol operations. "They provide flexible firepower and surveillance capabilities suitable for maritime security missions in the Arabian Sea and coastal zones," a report said.

3. The Yarmook-class offshore patrol vessel family features a design optimised for long-endurance patrols, maritime security, humanitarian assistance, and limited naval combat responsibilities. Pakistan claims that they provide flexible firepower and surveillance for maritime security missions.

4. It is said that Islamabad wanted vessels of this class as they combine lower operational costs with sufficient endurance, command facilities, and deck space for diverse contingencies—both military and aid/rescue. PNS Hunain can reportedly carry anti-ship missiles and surface-to-air missiles. The Pakistan Navy has deployed Hunain's sister warships (vessels of the Yarmook class) on regional maritime security patrols in the Indian Ocean. They are primarily entrusted with the duty of ensuring the safety of commercial vessels arriving at and departing from Pakistani ports.

5. To date, the ship is best known for the dramatic rescue of 18 foreign sailors from the Panama-flagged bulk carrier MV Gold Autumn earlier this year. Pakistani sailors joined firefighting missions from Hunain after evacuating the 18 men on board the merchant ship and providing them with first aid. MV Gold Autumn's hired personnel included citizens from China, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Vietnam, and Indonesia, who were all safely taken to Karachi.