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 to escort civilian ships in the Gulf of China. ‘Aden and in the waters off Somalia. The Chinese People’s Liberation Army Navy’s 41st Fleet, consisting of the guided-missile destroyer Suzhou, the guided-missile frigate Nantong and the supply ship Chaohu, escorted 38 Chinese and foreign ships during the mission . The fleet sailed from Zhoushan on May 18, 2022.

The escort squad traveled nearly 90,000 nautical miles during its 182-day voyage without entering a port to rest. In December 2008, China began sending warships to conduct ship protection operations in the Gulf of Aden and waters off Somalia.