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New fleet sails to fight Somali pirates

By Cui Xiaohuo (China Daily)
Updated: 2009-04-02 07:47

ZHANJIANG, Guangdong: Somali pirates remain a menace to trade in the Gulf of Aden and beyond, and the navy may extend its current mission to cope with their threats, said a senior naval commander Wednesday.

A naval officer stands in front of the destroyer Shenzhen in Zhanjiang, Guangdong province, April 1, 2009. The ship will sail to the Gulf of Aden today to protect merchant vessels from pirates. [China Daily]

"Pirates have recently expanded their zone of operations, coordinated with each other, upgraded their weapons and selected a wider range of targets. They also tend to use force more often," said Rear Admiral Yao Zhilou, the commander of a new fleet setting sail today to replace the current anti-piracy fleet near Somalia.

The commander also said the pirates have recently increased their presence in the eastern region of the Indian Ocean where there are fewer patrolling warships.

The navy will adapt to the pirates' new strategies, added the admiral, who is also vice-commander of the South China Sea Fleet, mainly guarding China's southern maritime territory.

"Pirates remain a big threat to merchant vessels on the sea," Yao told reporters on the eve of his fleet's departure.

The fleet, which includes the well-traveled "celebrity destroyer" Shenzhen as the flagship, and one-year-old frigate Huangshan, will set sail at 10 am to replace the two destroyers, Wuhan and Haikou, currently guiding merchant vessels in the Indian Ocean.

While the warships are being replaced, China's biggest supply ship, Weishanhu, will continue to serve in the second escort fleet after sailing for 98 days, keeping the current number of soldiers for the mission at more than 800.

"Destroyer Shenzhen is a well-known ship after traveling to nearly 20 countries including the US, Japan and European countries, while the frigate Huangshan is a newly built warship that we want to put to the test this time," said the commander.

With two helicopters and navy special forces aboard the two warships, the capabilities of the second fleet will be similar to the current flotilla comprised of two destroyers and a supply vessel, Yao said.

The commander also said the fleet, which will join about 20 countries for the multinational campaign against pirates, will continue to exchange information with other navies.

The fleet will set off from a naval base in the west Guangdong city of Zhanjiang, headquarters to the South China Sea Fleet.

The fleet will arrive in the Gulf of Aden after a trip of nearly 10 days.

The current fleet will return once its replacement arrives.

Since starting their mission in January, the warships have escorted more than 150 vessels and rescued three foreign merchant ships from pirate attacks.

Calling the mission so far a great success, Rear Admiral Zhang Deshun, the deputy chief of staff of the People's Liberation Army navy, told China Daily earlier that the navy is prepared for a prolonged endeavor in which China joins forces with international naval forces to combat piracy.

He said it may not be a short mission, with its length depending on the Somali political situation and on when Somali piracy can be eradicated.