Chinese patrol ships practice in South China Sea

ABOARD HAIJIAN 83 - A patrol team consisting of four China Marine Surveillance (CMS) ships conducted a formation practice near Yongshu Reef in the South China Sea on Monday.

The two-hour practice session was fulfilled smoothly but a helicopter scheduled to take part did not do so, due to adverse weather.

The CMS patrol sailed from south China's coastal city of Sanya on June 26 to the South China Sea to conduct regular operations. The team is expected to travel more than 2,400 nautical miles (4,500 km) during the patrols.

They reached Huayang Reef, a coral reef in the Nansha Islands, on Sunday and anchored northeast of Yongshu Reef on Sunday evening, after covering a distance of 1,800 nautical miles.