China sends new navy fleet on escort mission in Gulf of Aden, waters near Somalia

Officers and soldiers wave goodbye at a port in Qingdao, east China's Shandong Province, Oct. 11, 2025. A new fleet of the Chinese People's Liberation Army Navy set sail from a military port in Qingdao, east China's Shandong Province, on Saturday to take over an escort mission from the previous fleet in the Gulf of Aden and waters off Somalia.

This 48th navy fleet comprises a missile destroyer, a missile frigate and a supply vessel -- with two helicopters and dozens of special forces members on board. [Photo by Liu Zaiyao/Xinhua]