A helicopter of the Chinese naval fleet
attends a landing exercise at night on Dec. 28, 2008, while the Chinese
naval fleet heads for the Gulf of Aden. The Chinese naval fleet including
two destroyers and a supply ship set off on Dec. 26 for waters off Somalia
for an escort mission against piracy.(Xinhua Photo) Photo Gallery>>>
ABOARD DESTROYER WUHAN, Jan. 6 (Xinhua) -- A Chinese naval
fleet arrived Tuesday in the waters of the Gulf of Aden off Somalia to carry out
the first escort mission against pirates.
Four Chinese merchant ships, including one from
China's Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, were escorted by the fleet.
Rear-Admiral Du Jingchen, commander of the force,
said the escort mission has started and "we would strictly observe UN
resolutions and relevant international laws to fulfill our obligations."
Du said the task force will carry out careful
deployment, enhance coordination and keep close watch to ensure the safety of
the vessels and crew being protected.
The fleet, two destroyers and one supply ship, left a
naval base on China's Hainan island last Friday under authorization from both
the United Nations Security Council and Somalia's transitional government to
primarily escort Chinese merchant ships.
The fleet includes about 800 crew members, including
70 soldiers from the Navy's special force, and is equipped with missiles,
cannons and light weapons.
The UN Security Council adopted four resolutions in
2008 calling on all countries and regions to help patrol the gulf and waters off
Somalia, where increasing piracy has endangered international shipping in one of
the world's busiest sea lanes.
A ship of China Ocean Shipping Group
Company (COSCO) sails in the Gulf of Aden under the escort of a Chinese
naval fleet (not seen in the picture) Jan. 6, 2009. The Chinese naval
fleet arrived Tuesday in the waters of the Gulf of Aden off Somalia to
carry out the first escort mission against pirates. Four Chinese ships,
including one from China's Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, were
escorted by the fleet. (Xinhua Photo) Photo Gallery>>>
The latest resolution authorized countries to take
all necessary measures in Somalia, including in its airspace, to stop the
rampant piracy.
The London-based International Maritime Bureau said
more than 100 vessels had been attacked in the gulf in 2008 and 14 ships are
currently being held for ransom, including Saudi supertanker Sirius Star and the
Faina, a Ukrainian cargo vessel carrying 32 tanks.
BEIJING, Jan. 6 (Xinhua) -- Ships from Hong Kong, Macao
and Taiwan can request the escort services of the Chinese mainland's navy fleet
in Somalian waters, said Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Qin Gang at a
regular press conference here Tuesday.
Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan are all part of China.
The Chinese government attached high importance to the safety of overseas
Chinese, and the escort flotilla in Somalian waters will also protect ships from
Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan, Qin said. Full story
BEIJING, Jan. 1 (Xinhua) -- A military scholar believes
China is doing the right thing by dispatching a naval task force to escort ships
and to protect them from pirates in waters off Somalia. Full story
A helicopter of the Chinese naval fleet
attends a landing exercise at night on Dec. 28, 2008, while the Chinese
naval fleet heads for the Gulf of Aden. The Chinese naval fleet including
two destroyers and a supply ship set off on Dec. 26 for waters off Somalia
for an escort mission against piracy. (Xinhua Photo) Photo
Gallery>>>
DESTROYER WUHAN, Dec. 29 (Xinhua) -- The Chinese naval
fleet sailed into the Strait of Malacca on Monday after its departure from
China's southernmost island province of Hainan on an escort mission against
piracy off Somalia Friday afternoon.
The fleet sailed into Singapore Strait Monday morning
after over 20 hours' voyage from the South China Sea and arrived at the Strait
of Malacca. It is expected to reach the Indian Ocean Tuesday. Full story
ABOARD THE DESTROYER WUHAN, Dec. 29 (Xinhua) -- The
Chinese naval task force en route to the Gulf of Aden and waters off Somalia for
an escort mission against pirates will enter the Indian Ocean on Tuesday.
The fleet, two destroyers and one supply ship, on Monday
passed through the Malacca Strait after a three-day voyage, which started from
China's Hainan Province. Full story
A ceremony is held before a Chinese
naval fleet sets sail from a port in Sanya city of China's southernmost
island province of Hainan on Dec. 26, 2008. The Chinese naval fleet
including two destroyers and a supply ship from the South China Sea Fleet
set off on Friday for waters off Somalia for an escort mission against
piracy.(Xinhua/Zha Chunming) Photo
Gallery>>>
BEIJING, Dec. 26 (Xinhua) -- The three warships forming
the small fleet that set sail from Sanya in south China's Hainan Province for
escort mission off Somali are among the most sophisticated vessels of the
Chinese navy.
The flagship of the fleet, DDG-169 Wuhan, is a
multi-purpose missile destroyer of Type 052B of the People's Liberation Army
Navy. It was built by Jiangnan Shipyard of Shanghai in 2002. Full story
Photo taken on Dec. 26, 2008 shows a
Chinese naval ship in the port of Sanya City of China's southernmost
island province of Hainan. The Chinese naval fleet including two
destroyers and a supply ship from the South China Sea Fleet set off on
Friday for waters off Somalia for an escort mission against
piracy.(Xinhua/Zha Chunming)Photo
Gallery>>>
BEIJING, Dec. 23 (Xinhua) -- China's navy is confident in
its task to patrol the seas off the Somali coast, a senior navy officer said
here on Tuesday.
Two missile destroyers and a support vessel will
leave Sanya in the southern Chinese island province of Hainan on Friday to join
the growing number of international warships fighting piracy off the east
African nation's coast.
"We don't have any insurmountable obstacles in
patrolling this area," Senior Col. Ma Luping, director of the navy operational
bureau under the Headquarters of the General Staff, told reporters.
Full story
A ceremony is held before a Chinese
naval fleet sets sail from a port in Sanya City of China's southernmost
island province of Hainan on Dec. 26, 2008. The Chinese naval fleet
including two destroyers and a supply ship from the South China Sea Fleet
set off on Friday for waters off Somalia for an escort mission against
piracy.(Xinhua/Zha Chunming) Photo
Gallery>>>
¡¡UNITED
NATIONS, Dec. 22 (Xinhua) -- UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and the president
of the UN Security Council, Neven Jurica ofCroatia, Monday both extended their
welcome to China's decision to dispatch Chinese naval ships for escorting
operations in the Gulf of Aden and Somali waters, saying the Chinese move is a
strong support for the global efforts to fight pirates there, a Chinese envoy
said here. Full story
