Chinese fleet conducts 1st escort mission in Gulf of Aden

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The Gulf of Aden is located between Somalia and the Arabian Peninsula. The waterway is part of the important Suez canal shipping route between the Mediterranean Sea and the Arabian Sea in the Indian Ocean. It's also in the key passage between China and Europe, with over 1,000 Chinese merchant ships crossing the Gulf annually.

This time, the escort area starts from the eastern part of  the Gulf of Aden, and ends at the east entrance of the Mandab  Strait, 550 miles in total, or about 1020 kilometers.

The U.N. Security Council adopted four resolutions in 2008, calling on all countries and regions to help patrol the Gulf and waters off Somalia, where surging piracy has endangered international shipping.