A joint naval ship formation composing of Chinese and Cambodian naval ships sails to the target water during a maritime live-fire drill on May 27, 2024. (Photo by Wang Zhaoqi)
SIHANOUKVILLE, Cambodia, May 28 -- Chinese and Cambodian sailors participating in the "Golden Dragon 2024" joint exercise conducted a maritime live-fire drill in the waters near Sihanoukville Autonomous Port, Cambodia, on May 27. This marked the first live-fire drill jointly organized by the Chinese naval ship formation and the Royal Cambodian Navy.
Under the theme of "joint counter-terrorism operations and humanitarian relief," the drill was based on a scenario where terrorists hijacked a cargo ship in a certain sea area, and focused on such subjects as joint response, formation navigation and search, and armed rescue. A total of 16 naval ships from China and Cambodia participated in the drill.
As soon as the drill started on the morning, the Chinese and Cambodian naval vessels formed a joint formation and quickly sailed to the scene. The Chinese Navy's amphibious dock landing ship Qilianshan served as the commanding ship. Upon identifying the target, ships from both sides closely coordinated and closed in on the "hijacked cargo ship" from different directions. To prevent the joint formation from approaching, the "terrorists" set fire on the foredeck of the cargo ship. The Chinese ships immediately moved toward the cargo ship and used high-pressure water cannons to extinguish the fire.
Meanwhile, over ten Cambodian commandos on assault boats approached the cargo ship and carried out an armed rescue. Then, the Chinese medical team quickly transferred the "injured crew members" from the cargo ship to a maritime medical aid station for emergency treatment and made preparations for further evacuation.
It's learned that during this drill, Chinese and Cambodian ships were organized into mixed groups, allowing both sides to learn from each other, which further enhanced the level of command and coordination and joint emergency response capabilities.
