KARACHI: Major joint naval exercises between the Pakistan Navy and Royal Saudi Naval Forces (RSNF) commenced on Saturday at the Saudi Arabian Port of Jubail. The exercises included Naseem Al-Bahr, the first joint mine countermeasures exercise and marine forces exercise, Deraa Al Sahil. The 11th exercise of the series is set to continue until February 17. This is the first time such exercises are being conducted in Saudi Arabian waters. Aimed at consolidating the existing strong bilateral relations between Pakistan and the Royal Saudi Naval Forces, the exercises include joint conduct of maritime security operations across traditional and nontraditional warfare domains, thus enhancing interoperability between both the two countries’ naval forces. Commodore Adnan Ahmed is mission commander of the Pakistan Navy ships visiting Jubail for the exercise. Upon arrival, the Pakistani naval ships were warmly received by senior RSNF officers. To share their experience with their Saudi counterparts, various harbor evolutions, including a communication brief for participating units and harbor fire demonstrations onboard Pakistan’s ships, were conducted on the first day of the joint exercises. A reception dinner in honor of the visiting Pakistan fleet was hosted by RSNF Eastern Fleet Rear Admiral Laafi bin Hussain Al-Harbi at the RSNF Naval Base.