China sends naval fleet to Gulf of Aden for escort mission

BEIJING, Jan. 16 (YPA) – The Chinese Ministry of Defense said on Saturday the 37th naval fleet would leave the port city of Sanya in south China’s Hainan Province for the Gulf of Aden and waters off Somalia to escort civilian ships.

The fleet is composed of the guided-missile destroyer ‘Changsha’, the missile frigate ‘Yulin’, and supply ship ‘Honghu’, according to the official Chinese news agency “Xinhua”.

On board the warships are 700 officers and soldiers, including dozens of special operation troops.

It is the first time for the Changsha to join the escort mission.

The Chinese army navy started to carry out escort missions in the Gulf of Aden and the waters off Somalia in December 2008.

YPA