The 47th and 48th escort taskforces the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) Navy held a mission handover ceremony in the Gulf of Aden on Saturday.
With the separation order issued, the guided-missile destroyer Baotou (Hull 133), and the guided-missile destroyer Tangshan (Hull 122) fired three green signal flares each, and all ships sounded horns, with officers and sailors waving goodbye.
Subsequently, the two taskforces turned 90 degrees to the left and right respectively.
After the ceremony, the 48th Chinese naval escort taskforce will take over from the 47th taskforce for the remaining escort missions.
The PLA Navy began conducting escort missions in the Gulf of Aden and the waters off Somalia in December 2008.
Chinese navy escort fleets hold handover ceremony for mission rotation
