The Gulf of Aden is one of the world’s busiest sea lanes， with 20 percent of the world’s sea trade passing through it. Every year， around 20，000 oil tankers， freighters and merchant vessels pass through this crucial route between the Indian Ocean and the Red Sea.
　　South of it on the Horn of Africa is Somalia， a country that has been plagued by more than 20 years of domestic strife. Sustained chaos has deprived local people of materials for basic living， which in turn fueled a “piracy industry” for people struggling to survive.
　　As a result， passing merchant ships and even vessels carrying humanitarian relief items increasingly fell victim to pirate attacks. Rampant piracy posed threats to both crews’physical safety and trade security.
　　In response， since June 2008， the UN Security Council has adopted several resolutions authorizing counter-piracy operations off the Somali coast. The Transitional Federal Government of the Somali Republic also appealed for international assistance.
　　From January to November of 2008， pirates attacked 20 percent of the 1，200 or so Chinese ships passing through this area， and hijacked five merchant ships between 2007 and 2008.
　　To protect Chinese ships as well as ships delivering humanitarian relief items， and with the full awareness that anyone involved in world trade has a responsibility to protect vital trade routes， in December 2008， the Chinese Government， in light of UN resolutions and the practices of relevant countries， decided to dispatch three warships to the Gulf of Aden and waters off Somalia for an escort mission.
　　 Continuous escort
　　On December 26， 2008， the first-ever Chinese naval escort flotilla， comprising the CNS Wuhan， Haikou and Weishanhu， departed from Sanya in China’s southernmost Hainan Province toward the Gulf of Aden about 4，400 nautical miles away. It joined a multinational naval force already patrolling the area， including vessels from the EU， NATO， the United States， Russia and India. What the Chinese navy begins to get engaged in is in effect an international peacekeeping operation.
　　The Chinese Government has dispatched 37 warships and some 10，000 naval personnel in 14 groups to the Gulf of Aden and waters off Somalia without interruption during a period exceeding four years. Chinese naval forces have successfully escorted more than 5，200 vessels in the area， among which more than 50 percent were from other countries. 　　The CNS Harbin， Mianyang and Weishanhu of the 14th Chinese naval escort flotilla set sail from Qingdao in Shandong Province in midFebruary and reached the Gulf of Aden to undertake patrols in early March. The flotilla has a combined crew of 730 personnel and had successfully escorted 156 Chinese and foreign ships in 54 convoy groups by late July.
　　As the deputy commander of the flotilla’s special forces team， Lieutenant Zeng Xiaosong has participated in a number of onboard security operations. He recalled a particularly intense bout of seasickness aboard a 30-meter fishing boat tossed about at night by 3- to 4-meter swells.
　　“We feel satisfied with what we have done， especially when the seamen on the fishing boats enthusiastically told us that the presence of Chinese naval special forces on their boats filled them with a sense of safety，” said Zeng.
　　Like Zeng， everyone onboard the three vessels is fully aware of the huge responsibility on their shoulders. After more than four years of anti-piracy operations in these waters， relevant experience is accumulating with each passing day. However， this is never referred to as an excuse for anyone to relax.
　　Special forces training focuses on rescue of hijacked vessels， according to Captain Wang Qiang， chief of the commanding group of the flotilla. Drills involve fast rope insertion from helicopter， searching cabin compartments and live fire exercises.
　　 Joint efforts
　　Currently there are around 40 warships patrolling waters of the Gulf of Aden off the coast of Somalia. They are from more than 20 countries such as China， Russia， India and Japan as well as international organizations of the EU， the North Atlantic Treaty Organization and Combined Maritime Forces.
　　In the face of the common threat of pirate harassment， the Chinese flotilla is engaged in various forms of extensive cooperation with other task groups， such as boarding visits by commanders， operation coordination and information sharing as well as joint escorts and training operations.
　　Since January 2012， China， India and Japan have adjusted escort schedules on a quarterly basis and optimized the available assets of their independent deployments， thereby enhancing escort efficiency.
　　Escorting UN World Food Program vessels was once the job of an EU task force， but since early 2011， Chinese flotillas have escorted fooddelivering vessels at the request of the EU due to its escort task group’s shortage of available warships. 　　In late July， the Harbin voluntarily offered to support the escort of UN humanitarian relief ship MV Princess K from the south Red Sea to the northeast of the Horn of Africa， where it passed the duties to the ITS Zeffiro of the EU task force. In his letter of thanks to the Harbin， Commodore Jorge Novo Palma praised this action as “another achievement to strengthen the existing close cooperation” between Chinese and EU escort task groups.
　　EU naval forces set up a website named Mercury to facilitate information sharing among naval escort forces. When the first Chinese naval escort flotilla arrived in the Gulf of Aden in early 2009， its e-mail address and international maritime satellite telephone service number were announced to escort task groups. Successive Chinese flotillas have used the website to share its schedules and requirements.
　　In a recent escort journey， the Italian merchant vessel Altinia had to stop for engine repairs. Unfortunately， the Harbin had to take care of another four ships that could not be delayed. The Harbin posted this information on Mercury， hoping that warships patrolling nearby would help guard the Altinia. The EU task force contacted the FGS Augburg， patrolling only 40 nautical miles away， and a helicopter was over the Altinia in 30 minutes.
　　The Chinese navy will patrol and conduct escort operations in the Gulf of Aden and waters off Somalia， in joint efforts with other naval forces， as long as necessary to secure the sea line of communications for its own merchant ships and meanwhile continue to offer assistance to foreign merchant vessels and humanitarian shipments， in order to fulfill its international obligation as a responsible country in the world， said naval sources.