Chinese Navy Celebrates 15 Years of Successful Escort Missions in the Gulf of Aden
On December 26, 2008, the first batch of escort fleets of the Chinese Navy set sail from a military port in Sanya and went to the Gulf of Aden and the waters of Somalia to perform escort missions, starting a new journey for the Chinese Navy towards the deep blue. This initial mission marked the beginning of a successful 15-year journey that has seen the Chinese Navy complete more than 1,600 successful escort missions.
Over the past 15 years, the Chinese Navy has dispatched 45 formations, more than 150 ships, and more than 35,000 officers and soldiers. They have successfully completed more than 1,600 escort missions, rescued and protected nearly 100 ships of various types, and continued to maintain the absolute safety of the protected ships. The officers and soldiers have demonstrated China’s responsibility as a major power with practical actions, winning widespread praise at home and abroad.
On December 17, local time, the 45th batch of Chinese Navy escort taskforces safely escorted the Marshall Islands-registered chemical tanker “Opera” to the scheduled rescue point, completing the 1,604th batch of Chinese Navy escort missions. The Captain of the Opera expressed his gratitude to the officers and soldiers of the formation, recognizing the Chinese Navy for its great work in the area and expressing appreciation for the cooperation.
The Chinese naval escort fleet has actively implemented global security initiatives and the concept of building a community with a shared future for mankind and a community with a shared future for the oceans. They have escorted more than 7,200 Chinese and foreign ships, of which more than 50% are foreign ships, demonstrating a commitment to safeguarding the safety of international sea lanes and contributing to building a community with a shared future for mankind.
The successful missions have not only included escorting passing ships to safety, but also stepping forward at critical moments many times. From urgently carrying out joint search and rescue operations for the missing Malaysian Airlines flight, to evacuating Chinese and foreign personnel from war-torn Yemen, the Chinese Navy has demonstrated its responsibility as a major power in advancing into the deep blue and has won praise from the international community.
Additionally, the Chinese naval escort taskforce has consistently performed non-war military operations such as escorting Syrian chemical weapons, providing emergency water supply to the Maldives, and searching and rescuing the missing Malaysia Airlines flight. They have also successfully completed emergency tasks such as the evacuation of Libyan nationals and nationals from Yemen and Sudan, playing a crucial role in building a community with a shared future for mankind.
Over the years, the Chinese Navy has relied on various formations, escort methods, and escort operations to ensure the safety of protected ships. The Chinese naval escort fleet has gradually explored and perfected escort formations such as single column, single horizontal team, and double column, as well as escort methods such as accompanying escort, group escort, relay escort, call escort, patrol escort, and ship-borne escort, to build an unbreakable foundation for the ships being protected.
As the Chinese Navy celebrates the 15th anniversary of its deep blue missions, the successful escort missions reflect the commitment of China as a major power to safeguarding world peace and upholding its responsibility to the international community.
The Chinese naval escort fleet has used practical actions to contribute China’s strength to safeguarding world peace over the past 15 years. The officers and soldiers have dedicated themselves to the successful completion of escort missions and have demonstrated China’s commitment to a secure shared future for mankind.