Chinese mainland naval fleet escorts Taiwan merchant ship off Somalia

Source: Xinhua | 01-13-2009 08:41

ABOARD DESTROYER WUHAN, Jan. 12 (Xinhua) -- A Chinese mainland navel fleet on Monday began to carry out an escort mission for four merchant ships including one from Taiwan in the Gulf of Aden off Somalia.

Photo taken from missile destroyer "Wuhan" of a Chinese  naval fleet shows four Chinese ships sailing in the Gulf  of Aden under the escort of the Chinese naval fleet, Jan.  6, 2009. The Chinese naval fleet arrived Tuesday in the  waters of the Gulf of Aden off Somalia to carry out the  first escort mission against pirates. Four Chinese ships,  including one from China's Hong Kong Special Administrative  Region, were escorted by the fleet.(Xinhua/Zhu Hongliang)

The mission is also escorting two other ships from Shanghai and one from the Philippines to protect them against pirate attacks.