Published on ShanghaiDaily.com (http://www.shanghaidaily.com/)
http://www.shanghaidaily.com/sp/article/2008/200812/20081227/article_386113.htm
Sailors take part in a ceremony before a Chinese naval task force sets sail from a port in Sanya City yesterday for anti-piracy duty off the Somalia coast. The force comprises two destroyers and a supply ship and is armed with special forces, guided missiles and helicopters.
Sailors take part in a ceremony before a Chinese naval task force sets sail from a port in Sanya City yesterday for anti-piracy duty off the Somalia coast. The force comprises two destroyers and a supply ship and is armed with special forces, guided missiles and helicopters.
Course set for Somali patrols
Created: 2008-12-27 2:00:10
THE Chinese naval task force bound for anti-piracy patrol off the Somali coast set sail from Sanya in Hainan Island at 1:50pm yesterday, as crowds gathered on the dock to see the sailors off.
Two destroyers, the DDG-169 Wuhan and DDG-171 Haikou, and the supply ship Weishanhu will cruise for about 10 days before arriving in the Gulf of Aden, joining a multinational patrol in one of the world's busiest sea lanes, where piracy endangers international shipping.
The task force carries about 800 crew members, including 70 soldiers from the Navy's special forces. The destroyers are equipped with missiles, cannons and light weapons.
"The expedition will show China's active attitude in maintaining world peace and safety," Admiral Wu Shengli, commander of the Navy, said at a send-off ceremony.
"It also embodies the Navy's resolution and capacity to accomplish diversified military missions to deal with multiple threats to national security," he added.
The admiral said the expedition is the first time that China has deployed warships far from its coastline to protect the nation's strategic interests.
The task force will escort Chinese vessels that seek protection when passing through the area, as well as foreign ships on request.
The first phase of the mission will last for three months, and the Navy will send fresh ships for relief, if needed.
The Chinese task force will also help ships carrying humanitarian relief for international organizations such as the UN World Food Program. It will not charge escort or protection fees to ships, whether flying foreign or domestic flags.
"We may encounter conflicts where we might have to fire on pirates in those waters, but our primary target is not striking them but dispersing them," said the task force commander, Rear-Admiral Du Jingchen, speaking from on board the destroyer Wuhan yesterday.
He said the task force has not been given specific instructions about the Chinese fishing vessel Tian Yu 8, which is still held by pirates, since the government has not given up negotiating with the pirates.
The destroyer Wuhan will serve as the flagship during the mission, according to its 40-year-old captain Long Juan, who added that the crew had conducted many drills especially targeted at fighting piracy.
For Wuhan's companion destroyer, the Haikou, the voyage is a public debut.
The destroyer was commissioned in 2005. But Captain Zhou Fuquan said all crew members were well-trained and confident in their mission.
The Weishanhu, China's biggest domestically made supply vessel, will provide logistical and medical support during the mission.
"The ship can supply the fleet with green vegetables and fresh fruit for months," Captain Xi Feijun said, adding that medical teams onboard can perform most surgeries.
Since June, the UN Security Council has adopted four resolutions calling on all countries to take part in patrolling the gulf and waters off Somalia. The latest resolution authorized countries to undertake all necessary measures in Somalia, including in its airspace to stop the pirates.
Two destroyers, the DDG-169 Wuhan and DDG-171 Haikou, and the supply ship Weishanhu will cruise for about 10 days before arriving in the Gulf of Aden, joining a multinational patrol in one of the world's busiest sea lanes, where piracy endangers international shipping.
The task force carries about 800 crew members, including 70 soldiers from the Navy's special forces. The destroyers are equipped with missiles, cannons and light weapons.
"The expedition will show China's active attitude in maintaining world peace and safety," Admiral Wu Shengli, commander of the Navy, said at a send-off ceremony.
"It also embodies the Navy's resolution and capacity to accomplish diversified military missions to deal with multiple threats to national security," he added.
The admiral said the expedition is the first time that China has deployed warships far from its coastline to protect the nation's strategic interests.
The task force will escort Chinese vessels that seek protection when passing through the area, as well as foreign ships on request.
The first phase of the mission will last for three months, and the Navy will send fresh ships for relief, if needed.
The Chinese task force will also help ships carrying humanitarian relief for international organizations such as the UN World Food Program. It will not charge escort or protection fees to ships, whether flying foreign or domestic flags.
"We may encounter conflicts where we might have to fire on pirates in those waters, but our primary target is not striking them but dispersing them," said the task force commander, Rear-Admiral Du Jingchen, speaking from on board the destroyer Wuhan yesterday.
He said the task force has not been given specific instructions about the Chinese fishing vessel Tian Yu 8, which is still held by pirates, since the government has not given up negotiating with the pirates.
The destroyer Wuhan will serve as the flagship during the mission, according to its 40-year-old captain Long Juan, who added that the crew had conducted many drills especially targeted at fighting piracy.
For Wuhan's companion destroyer, the Haikou, the voyage is a public debut.
The destroyer was commissioned in 2005. But Captain Zhou Fuquan said all crew members were well-trained and confident in their mission.
The Weishanhu, China's biggest domestically made supply vessel, will provide logistical and medical support during the mission.
"The ship can supply the fleet with green vegetables and fresh fruit for months," Captain Xi Feijun said, adding that medical teams onboard can perform most surgeries.
Since June, the UN Security Council has adopted four resolutions calling on all countries to take part in patrolling the gulf and waters off Somalia. The latest resolution authorized countries to undertake all necessary measures in Somalia, including in its airspace to stop the pirates.
Xinhua
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