Chinese sailors aboard warships pledge allegiance to country, mission

DESTROYER WUHAN, Dec. 28 (Chinese media) -- The three-ship task force of China's

warships headed to waters off the Somali coast on an escort mission left China's

territory on Sunday after two days and nights travel.

It sailed across Nansha Waters on the South China Sea on Saturday after its departure from Sanya of south China's Hainan Province on Friday afternoon.

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.(Chinese media/Zha Chunming)
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At the navy's routine ceremony for overseas visits, officers and soldiers

swore devotion to the country, the Chinese people and the mission in the South

China Sea before sailing for the Strait of Malacca.

Sailors on board the warship DDG-169 Wuhan, a multi-purpose missile

destroyer of Type 052B of the People's Liberation Army Navy, conducted military

exercises Saturday.

Rear-Admiral Du Jingchen, commander of the force, who also serves as chief

of staff of the South China Sea Fleet, said on the departure day that the

expedition had not been given any landing plans and the warships would not

accept assignments from other countries or regional organizations.

Chinese Navy sends most sophisticated

ships on escort mission off

Somalia
BEIJING, Dec. 26

(Chinese media) -- 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.

Commentary: Discreet naval deployment

proves shared responsibility of world peace



BEIJING, Dec. 26 (Chinese media) -- China, the most discreet

permanent member of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC), in response to

rampant piracy in the Gulf of Aden, took an unprecedented step in deploying

three naval vessels in waters off Somalia to escort merchant vessels.

By sending off the UNSC-authorized task-force, including

two of its most sophisticated warships and a supply vessel, the People's

Liberation Army (PLA) Navy has shown a subtle shift in its predominant focus of

territorial defense to a focus of sharing in international

responsibility.

China navy "confident, capable" in Somalia piracy mission

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.(Chinese media/Zha Chunming)Photo Gallery

BEIJING, Dec. 23 (Chinese media) -- 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

UN hails naval escorting operations by China in Gulf of Aden, Somali waters

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.(Chinese media/Zha Chunming)
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　UNITED NATIONS, Dec. 22 (Chinese media) -- 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

China decides to send navy vessels to fight pirates off Somali coast

BEIJING, Dec. 20 (Chinese media) -- China has announced that its naval deployment to the seas off Somalia to fight pirates will be of three vessels.

Foreign Ministry spokesman Liu Jianchao confirmed on Saturday evening that the taskforce would consist of three vessels, and would patrol the Gulf of Aden and waters off Somalia. Full story

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Chinese ship rescued from attack by pirates in Gulf of Aden

A sailor is ready to defend from pirates' attacks on the deck of the Chinese ship "Zhenhua 4" in the Gulf of Aden, on Dec. 17, 2008. The Chinese ship escaped pirate hijack in the Gulf of Aden on Wednesday, after the crew fought for four hours with the help of a multi-coalition force. No injuries or deaths were reported. Nine pirates armed with rocket launchers and heavy machine guns boarded the ship. The 30 crew members locked themselves in their accommodation area, using fire hydrants and firebombs to prevent the attackers from entering, said an official with China Maritime Search and Rescue Center (CMSRC). (Chinese media Photo)
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NAIROBI, Dec. 17 (Chinese media) -- A regional maritime official confirmed on Wednesday that an international naval force rescued a Chinese ship from nine Somali pirates in the latest surge in piracy in the Gulf of Aden.

Andrew Mwangura, East Africa's Coordinator of Seafarers Assistance Program (SAP) said the crew on the Chinese MV Zhen Hua-4 had locked themselves in their cabins and radioed for help. Full story

Chinese ship escapes pirate hijack in Gulf of Aden

The Chinese naval fleet including two destroyers and a supply ship from the South China Sea Fleet set off from Sanya, a coastal city of South China's Hainan Province for waters off Somalia for an escort mission against piracy Dec. 26, 2008. (Chinese media Photo/Zha Chunming)
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BEIJING, Dec. 17 (Chinese media) -- A Chinese ship escaped pirate hijack in the Gulf of Aden on Wednesday, after the crew fought for four hours with the help of a multi-coalition force. No injuries or deaths were reported.

The ship "Zhenhua 4" is owned by China Communications Construction Co. and is registered in Saint Vincent. The company lost contact with the sailors after the ship was attacked by pirates at 12:43 p.m. (Beijing time). Full story

China ship rescued after pirates' forced retreat in Gulf of Aden

BEIJING, Dec. 17 (Chinese media) -- A Chinese ship was rescued after multi-national soldiers forced retreat of pirates in the Gulf of Aden at 16:45 (Beijing time) on Wednesday.

The multi-national forces used helicopters for the rescue operation. Full story

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