A helicopter takes off during a drill of the 41st fleet of the Chinese People's Liberation Army Navy on July. 16, 2022. A Chinese navy fleet returned to the port city of Zhoushan in east China's Zhejiang Province on Tuesday after completing its mission of escorting civilian vessels in the Gulf of Aden and in the waters off Somalia. (Photo by Tian Jianmin/Xinhua)
HANGZHOU, Nov. 15 (Xinhua) -- A Chinese navy fleet returned to the port city of Zhoushan in east China's Zhejiang Province on Tuesday after completing its mission of escorting civilian vessels in the Gulf of Aden and in the waters off Somalia.
The 41st fleet of the Chinese People's Liberation Army Navy, comprising the missile destroyer Suzhou, the missile frigate Nantong and the supply ship Chaohu, escorted 38 Chinese and foreign ships during the mission. The fleet set sail from Zhoushan on May 18, 2022.
The escort squad travelled nearly 90,000 nautical miles during its 182-day voyage without entering a port for rest.
China in December 2008 began dispatching naval ships to carry out vessel protection operations in the Gulf of Aden and the waters off Somalia. ■
The missile frigate Nantong of the 41st fleet of the Chinese People's Liberation Army Navy returns to a military port in Zhoushan, east China's Zhejiang Province, Nov. 15, 2022. A Chinese navy fleet returned to the port city of Zhoushan in east China's Zhejiang Province on Tuesday after completing its mission of escorting civilian vessels in the Gulf of Aden and in the waters off Somalia. (Photo by Jiang Xia/Xinhua)
The 41st fleet of the Chinese People's Liberation Army Navy returns to a military port in Zhoushan, east China's Zhejiang Province, Nov. 15, 2022. A Chinese navy fleet returned to the port city of Zhoushan in east China's Zhejiang Province on Tuesday after completing its mission of escorting civilian vessels in the Gulf of Aden and in the waters off Somalia. (Photo by Han Lin/Xinhua)
The supply ship Chaohu of the 41st fleet of the Chinese People's Liberation Army Navy returns to a port in Zhoushan, east China's Zhejiang Province, Nov. 15, 2022. A Chinese navy fleet returned to the port city of Zhoushan in east China's Zhejiang Province on Tuesday after completing its mission of escorting civilian vessels in the Gulf of Aden and in the waters off Somalia. (Photo by Jiang Xia/Xinhua)
Crew members of a ship escorted by the 41st fleet of the Chinese People's Liberation Army Navy display a sign to express gratitude to the Chinese navy fleet on Aug. 5, 2022. A Chinese navy fleet returned to the port city of Zhoushan in east China's Zhejiang Province on Tuesday after completing its mission of escorting civilian vessels in the Gulf of Aden and in the waters off Somalia. (Photo by Xiang Liming/Xinhua)
This photo taken on June 22, 2022 shows a ship escorted by the 41st fleet of the Chinese People's Liberation Army Navy displaying a sign to express gratitude to the Chinese navy fleet. A Chinese navy fleet returned to the port city of Zhoushan in east China's Zhejiang Province on Tuesday after completing its mission of escorting civilian vessels in the Gulf of Aden and in the waters off Somalia. (Photo by Wen Zidong/Xinhua)
Soldiers of the 41st fleet of the Chinese People's Liberation Army Navy conduct a drill on Aug. 22, 2022. A Chinese navy fleet returned to the port city of Zhoushan in east China's Zhejiang Province on Tuesday after completing its mission of escorting civilian vessels in the Gulf of Aden and in the waters off Somalia. (Photo by Xiang Liming/Xinhua)
Soldiers of the 41st fleet of the Chinese People's Liberation Army Navy are seen on duty on the missile frigate Nantong on Aug. 5, 2022. A Chinese navy fleet returned to the port city of Zhoushan in east China's Zhejiang Province on Tuesday after completing its mission of escorting civilian vessels in the Gulf of Aden and in the waters off Somalia. (Photo by Wen Zidong/Xinhua)
The missile destroyer Suzhou of the 41st fleet of the Chinese People's Liberation Army Navy returns to a military port in Zhoushan, east China's Zhejiang Province, Nov. 15, 2022. A Chinese navy fleet returned to the port city of Zhoushan in east China's Zhejiang Province on Tuesday after completing its mission of escorting civilian vessels in the Gulf of Aden and in the waters off Somalia. (Photo by Han Lin/Xinhua)
