Two Indian and Pakistani naval vessels collided in the North Arabian Sea on 15 September, marking the first publicly reported physical incident between the two militaries since their armed confrontation in May 2025.
The incident triggered diplomatic protests from both countries. India’s Ministry of External Affairs summoned Pakistan’s chargé d’affaires and described the conduct of Pakistani naval units as “unacceptable and unprofessional”.
Pakistan subsequently summoned India’s counterpart, describing the incident as “highly provocative and unacceptable”.
According to Pakistani officials, their vessel was participating in the Pakistan Navy’s Seaspark-26 exercise, when the Indian vessel conducted what Islamabad described as aggressive manoeuvres at dangerously close range. Pakistan also said the incident occurred within its exclusive economic zone.
India, however, said the collision occurred in international waters and that the Pakistani vessel approached an Indian warship at high speed whilst conducting unsafe manoeuvres.
The Pakistani vessel involved has been identified in multiple reports as PNS Hunain (F273), a Yarmook-class offshore patrol vessel that was commissioned in 2024. The Indian warship has not been officially identified, although Indian media reports have named it as the Kolkata-class destroyer INS Kolkata.
PNS Hunain measures 95.8m in length and has a displacement of approximately 2,600 tonnes. Based on Damen’s OPV 2600 design, the vessel is equipped with a 30mm Aselsan Smash remote weapon station, two 12.7mm Aselsan Stamp remote weapon stations and a 20mm Phalanx close-in weapon system. It is also fitted to carry the locally developed Harbah surface-to-surface missile.
Indian sources said the Indian warship sustained no damage and remained operational, and that PNS Hunain was damaged and subsequently returned to harbour. The extent of the damage has not been officially disclosed.
The incident brought renewed attention to the 1991 agreement between India and Pakistan on Advance Notice on Military Exercises, Manoeuvres and Troop Movements. Article 10 states that naval ships and submarines belonging to the two countries should not approach within 3nm of each other whilst operating in international waters, specifically to reduce the risk of accidents.
The latest collision echoes a similar incident in June 2011, when the Pakistani frigate PNS Babur made contact with the Indian frigate INS Godavari in the Gulf of Aden during anti-piracy operations. According to India’s Ministry of Defence at the time, Babur approached Godavari from astern at high speed and carried out a manoeuvre that resulted in contact, damaging the Indian ship’s extended helicopter deck safety net.
by Chen Chuanren
