PNS Hunain severely damaged after collision with INS Kolkata 3 times its size

Pakistan Navy’s PNS Hunain was severely damaged after it collided with the Indian Navy’s INS Kolkata in the North Arabian Sea on Tuesday evening, with visuals showing a large dent on the Pakistani vessel. The warship was subsequently sent back to harbour for repairs, while Indian sources said the 7,400-tonne INS Kolkata suffered no damage in the collision.

The damage became more significant in the context of the two vessels’ size. PNS Hunain weighs around 2,600 tonnes, making the Indian destroyer, at 7,400 tonnes, nearly three times heavier. The Pakistani vessel is a Yarmook-class patrol ship designed for maritime security, surveillance and limited combat operations. Commissioned in 2014, it is approximately 98 metres long.

INS Kolkata, by comparison, is 164 metres long and has a maximum speed of 30 knots. It is the lead vessel of the indigenously designed and constructed Kolkata-class guided missile destroyers.


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Pakistan’s government on Thursday said the incident occurred while its Navy was conducting its biennial SEASPARK-26 exercise. According to the Pakistani statement, the Indian vessel carried out “aggressive manoeuvres in dangerously close proximity to a Pakistani naval ship, resulting in contact between the two vessels”.

Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry also summoned the Charge d’Affaires of the Indian High Commission in Islamabad on Thursday and lodged a strong protest over the incident.

Indian defence sources, however, offered a different account. Speaking to TOI, they said PNS Hunain had approached the Indian warship, which was carrying out a routine surveillance mission in the North Arabian Sea, at high speed and had manoeuvred in an “unprofessional and unsafe manner”, resulting in the collision.

PNS Hunain suffers visible damage

Images emerging after the incident showed a substantial dent on PNS Hunain. The Pakistani warship had to return to harbour for repairs following the collision.

The Yarmook-class vessel is intended primarily for maritime security and surveillance, while also possessing limited combat capabilities. At around 98 metres in length and with a displacement of about 2,600 tonnes, PNS Hunain is considerably smaller than INS Kolkata.

The Indian destroyer is 164 metres long and weighs around 7,400 tonnes. Its larger size is accompanied by a significantly heavier weapons suite, including surface-to-air missiles, anti-ship cruise missiles, rapid-fire guns and anti-submarine warfare systems.

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INS Kolkata carries extensive weapons systems

INS Kolkata is equipped with BrahMos anti-ship cruise missiles, Barak 8 surface-to-air missiles and a close-in weapon system. Its anti-submarine capabilities include torpedo launchers, rocket launchers and a bow-mounted sonar system.

Indian sources told TOI the difference in the vessels’ size and capabilities meant that PNS Hunain would have been at serious risk had INS Kolkata taken offensive action.

“However, despite extreme provocation, the captain of INS Kolkata had exercised extreme restraint by taking actions to prevent a severe accident from taking place,” the source told TOI.