The 14th naval squad, sent by the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) Navy, departed Saturday from China to the Gulf of Aden and Somali waters for escort missions.

The squad, which set sail from a port in Qingdao of east China's Shandong Province, will succeed the 13th escort fleet currently conducting missions in Somali waters.

The 14th convoy fleet comprises three ships -- the missile destroyer Harbin, the frigate Mianyang and the supply ship Weishanhu -- carrying two helicopters and a 730-strong troop, all from the North China Sea Fleet under the PLA Navy.

It is the first time the destroyer and the frigate are conducting escort missions.

Since December 2008, authorized by the United Nations, the Chinese navy has organized 14 fleets to the waters of the Gulf of Aden and Somali waters to escort 5,046 Chinese and foreign ships. More than 50 Chinese and foreign ships have been rescued or assisted during the missions.

(Xinhua News Agency February 16, 2013)