By Zhang Dayu, Liang Lei and Jiang Hanlin
The guided-missile destroyer Jiaozuo attached to the 46th Chinese naval escort taskforce escorts foreign bulk carrier Infinity . (Photo by Zhang Dayu)
BEIJING, May 17 -- The 46th Chinese naval escort taskforce successfully completed the 1642nd and 1643rd escort missions, escorting the Marshall Islands-registered bulk carrier Infinity and the Liberian-registered chemical tanker XT PROSPERITY to the designated waters respectively on May 7 and 11, local time.
"Welcome to join the Chinese naval taskforce. You need to strengthen observation and alert, carry out anti-piracy measures, and report emergency situation at any time," the guided-missile destroyer Jiaozuo communicated with the bulk carrier Infinity through radio call on May 5, prior to their escort journey.
During the escort period, the guided-missile destroyer Jiaozuo and the escorted ships cooperated closely. When the escort missions concluded respectively on May 7 and 11, the captains of both civilian ships expressed their gratitude to Jiaozuo through radio call.
So far, the Chinese naval escort taskforces have escorted nearly 7,300 ships, of which foreign ships account for more than 50 percent, making important contributions to fulfilling international obligations and maintaining the safety of international shipping lanes.
Special operations members assigned to the 46th Chinese naval escort taskforce are on alert. (Photo by Liang Lei)
