China's 11th escort fleet returns from Somali waters

The 11th naval escort squad sent by the Chinese People's Liberation Army Navy to Somali waters returned home Thursday after successfully completing its mission.

The fleet, including the destroyer Qingdao, the frigate Yantai and the supply ship Weishanhu, has arrived at a port in Qingdao, a city in east China's Shandong Province.

The ships left the Qingdao port for the mission in February this year and reached the Gulf of Aden on March 15.

During the 200-day mission in the Gulf of Aden and Somali waters, the flotilla escorted 184 vessels to protect them from pirates, checked and drove away 126 suspicious ships, rescued three ships from pirates' pursuits and provided aid to four Chinese and foreign crew members.

Prior to the fleet's return, the team also visited Ukraine, Romania, Turkey, Bulgaria and Israel.

China sent its first convoy fleet to the Gulf of Aden and Somali waters in December 2008.