Ministry of National Defense of People Republic : 26th Chinese naval escort taskforce departs for Gulf of Aden
China: 26th PLANavy Escort Taskforce Departs for Gulf of Aden
The 26th Chinese naval escort taskforce left a naval port in Zhoushan of east China’s Zhejiang Province on the morning of April 1 for the Gulf of Aden and the waters off Somali coast to perform escort missions in replace of the 25th Chinese naval escort taskforce.
The 26th escort taskforce consists of the guided-missile frigates Huanggang and Yangzhou, the comprehensive supply ship Gaoyouhu and ship-borne helicopters.
The Huanggang and Yangzhou, both are Type 054A frigates, started their military service in 2015 in the East China Sea Fleet of the PLA Navy. The supply ship Gaoyouhu, commissioned in January 2016, is the most advanced supply ship of the PLA Navy, whose full displacement exceeds 20,000 tons, ranking only second to the aircraft carrier Liaoning.
This is the first time for the three naval ships to implement escort mission in the Gulf of Aden and waters off the Somali coast.
Deputy Commander of the PLA Navy Vice Admiral Su Zhiqian, Commander of the East China Sea Fleet Rear Admiral Wei Gang, and Political Commissar of the East China Sea Fleet Vice Admiral Wang Huayong attended the ceremony to see off the taskforce held at the naval port.
Source: ZHOUSHAN, (ChinaMil) – 6 April 2017
