The
Pakistan Maritime Security Agency
- is a law enforcement service
- is one of the six uniform service branch of the Paramilitary command of Pakistan.
- is operationally tasked with conducting the maritime, military, multi-mission service unique among the Pakistan military branches having the maritime law enforcement mission (with jurisdiction in both domestic and international waters).
- is the executive regulatory agency of the Government of Pakistan
- operates under the Ministry of Defence (MoD) during peacetime, but it can be transferred to Pakistan Navy by the governmental orders during the time of war.
The
Pakistan Coast Guards
- is a law enforcement organization
- is one of the six uniform services of the Paramilitary command
- is functioning and operating under the civilian control of the Interior Ministry (MoI).
- work under administrative control of Ministry of Interior in peace time whereas it will come under operational control of Pakistan Army in wartime situations.
- consist of active-duty members of Pakistan Army and are commanded by one-star rank Brigadier who is headquartered in Karachi, Sindh Province of Pakistan.
- are charged and mandated with protecting the coastal areas of Balochistan and Sindh Province while it conducts military exercises and operations relating to riverine warfare.
The Coast Guards should not be confused with the Maritime Security Agency (MSA)
of the Pakistan Navy, which is by law and constitution, charged with defence of coastal areas of the country, conducting military operations to maintain maritime law enforcement in national and international waters.
The Coast Guards were first established as the
Maritime Security Agency in 1971 and constituted operationally in 1972 through a Presidential Ordinance. The Parliament restored the constitutional status of the Branch after passing and promulgating the "Coast Guards Act" in 1973 and recognized as one of the six uniformed services of Paramilitary Command. Since then, it has upgraded its facilities and fleet to bolster its capabilities of littoral patrolling of the coast line.
In addition to land based troops, the Coast Guards also maintains a small fleet of patrol boats to perform its sea-borne duties, although the operations in deep water and dangerous undertaking are conducted by its counterpart Maritime Security Agency (MSA) of Pakistan Navy.
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The Navy also maintains a paramilitary division which prevents federal navy personnel from acting in a law enforcement capacity. The Maritime Security Agency (MSA) fulfils the law enforcement role in naval operations. The MSA has the capacity to conduct search and rescue operations in deep waters of Pakistan.[84] The Agency was established after adopting the genesis at the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea in 1982.[84] Pakistan ratified the UN Convention in 1997 but established the MSA on 1 January 1987, for enforcement of national and international laws, policies and conventions at sea.[84]
The MSA gained its constitutional status in 1994 by the Parliament and is now placed under the command of the Navy, commanded by an officer of two-star rank, a Rear-Admiral.
The Pakistan Coast Guard serves the same purpose as the Navy but, is a separate branch from it.[85] The Coast Guard's duties include relief efforts in the coastal areas of Pakistan, riverine rescue operations, and distribution of military rations.[85] The Coast Guard does not perform operations in deep waters, rather such operations are performed by the MSA.[85] However, it uses the mobility of the Pakistan Navy depending on the type of operations it conducts. The Coast Guard is under the command of the Pakistan Army and contains active-duty army members. It is commanded by a two-star rank Major-General
Clearly, the pair of Damen ships would be substantially bigger than the pair of 1500 ton OPVs from China, meaning they will be going out farther and longer in the Pakistani EEZ. Their range will be 5000-6000 nmi (but their top speed slower relative to 1500 ton ships).
A tender document on the MPV programme, published by the Pakistani government's planning commission, revealed a requirement for a platform that can attain a maximum speed of 30 kt and a cruising speed of between 12-16 kt. The vessel should also have a standard range of 4,500 nmi at cruising speed, and have an endurance of 21 days at sea without replenishment. Armament to be fitted onboard includes either a 37 mm or a 30 mm gun as a primary weapon, in addition to mountings for two 12.7 mm machine guns.
1500 ton MPV
Look at these ships in terms of what armaments to expect on the Damen boats. Personally, I think the Pakistani Damen ships will be very similar to those for Malaysia.
