The Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) Navy's 48th escort fleet sailed from a naval port in Qingdao, east China's Shandong Province, on Saturday morning to carry out escort missions in the Gulf of Aden and the waters off Somalia. The fleet comprises the guided-missile destroyer Tangshan, the guided-missile frigate Daqing, and the comprehensive supply ship Taihu. The ships cast off their moorings and pulled away from the dock at 9:00. "The 48th escort fleet will sail to the Gulf of Aden and the waters off Somalia to replace the 47th escort fleet and carry out escort missions. The Chinese naval fleet will take concrete actions to practice the concept of building a maritime community with a shared future in maintaining safety of international sea lanes and regional peace and stability," said Jiang Bin, a spokesman for the Ministry of National Defense, at a press conference in Beijing on Friday. "Having been able to carry out this escort mission, I deeply feel the weight of our responsibility and glory of our mission. We will strictly follow the discipline and rules, hone our combat capabilities, and use the distant seas and open ocean as a vast training ground to constantly enhance our ability to carry out diverse missions," said Zhang Lei, a crew member of the guided-missile frigate Daqing. In preparation for the mission, the fleet conducted intensive, full-spectrum, combat-oriented training exercises, including live-fire drills, convoy escort simulations, and replenishment operations. The exercises effectively tested the feasibility of operational plans and improved coordination among units, significantly boosting the fleet's overall readiness and mission execution capability. The PLA Navy began conducting escort missions in the Gulf of Aden and the waters off Somalia in December 2008. The video shows: Qingdao City, Shandong Province, east China - Oct 11, 2025 (CCTV - No access Chinese mainland) 1. Flag of People's Liberation Army (PLA) of China 2. Various of PLA Navy's ships leaving port, sailors on ship 3. Sailors' families 4. Various of sailors waving to their families Beijing, China - Oct 10, 2025 (CCTV - No access Chinese mainland) 5. SOUNDBITE (Chinese) Jiang Bin, spokesman, Ministry of National Defense: "The 48th escort fleet will sail to the Gulf of Aden and the waters off Somalia to replace the 47th escort fleet and carry out escort missions. The Chinese naval fleet will take concrete actions to practice the concept of building a maritime community with a shared future in maintaining safety of international sea lanes and regional peace and stability." Qingdao City, Shandong Province, east China - Oct 11, 2025 (CCTV - No access Chinese mainland) 6. Ship leaving port 7. SOUNDBITE (Chinese) Zhang Lei, crew member, guided-missile frigate Daqing(partially overlaid with shot 8): "Having been able to carry out this escort mission, I deeply feel the weight of our responsibility and glory of our mission. We will strictly follow the discipline and rules, hone our combat capabilities, and use the distant seas and open ocean as a vast training ground to constantly enhance our ability to carry out diverse missions." ++SHOT OVERLAYING SOUNDBITE++ 8. Flags, facilities on ship ++SHOT OVERLAYING SOUNDBITE++ At Sea - Date Unknown (CCTV - No access Chinese mainland) 9. Bell ringing 10. Various of members of PLA's 48th escort task group rushing to their positions, conducting training, live-fire drill for upcoming mission 11. Various of warships conducting training at sea [Restrictions: No access Chinese mainland]