The PLA Navy in the Mediterranean -
From time to time, some ‘news’ takes on a weird turn:
Chinese Navy is going to help the Russian Navy Mediterranean
This buzz is on social media. Well, it isn’t true and just plain wishful thinking on the part of some people. We had the exact rumour back in April, at a time of heightened crisis, same situation, same rumour. That proved to be unfounded and this is the latest reincarnation.
Putting that erroneous news story to bed.
Well it so happens that the PLA Navy routinely sends out a naval group to the Gulf of Aden.
Officially known as the Escort Task Force (ETF), this deployment has been ongoing since 2008. The ETF is primarily tasked with escorting merchant shipping through potential hostile waters.
Update: the handover in images
Given that piracy in the area has considerably waned, this has enabled the PLA(N) to extend the ETF deployments to include diplomacy missions. At its core is a counter-piracy operation, which is very useful for the PLAN as it gives vital long-distance operational experience to its Fleet. Secondly, the ships carry out overseas goodwill visits. It is this aspect that is significant and it is attention-grabbing.
Here’s the latest 3-ship rotation that left China on 6th August.
“The navy had escorted 6,400 Chinese and foreign vessels.”
Notice the number 30th? That’s the 30th rotation and each rotation typically lasts four months.
Latest to go are the:
Frigates ‘Handan’ and ‘Wuhu’.
replenishment oiler Dongpinghu
Replacing the
‘Xuzhou’ and ‘Binzhou’
Replenishment oiler ‘Qiandaohu’
Brest, France in July. http://eng.chinamil.com.cn/view/2018-07/04/content_8079827.htm Prior to that, it was in Germany and Poland.
https://twitter.com/chinadailyusa/status/1030235259646799872?s=21
It appears that the ‘Binzhou’ is back in the Gulf of Aden area, having transited the Mediterranean and Suez Canal.
The 30th Chinese naval ETF is expected to arrive in the Gulf of Aden in early September and take over the escort mission from the 29th ETF.
When the 30th ETF arrives and after a short handover period, all of the 29th ETF will then go on a goodwill voyage. Just like other groups have done so in the past.
The 28th did so sailing around Africa,and in the process, just happened to have transited the Med, calling into Ghana, Cameroon and Gabon. It finally called into South Africa before heading home.
http://eng.chinamil.com.cn/view/2018-07/03/content_8078773.htm
Likewise, the 27th ETF went to Algiers in January of this year. It included both the:
The guided-missile destroyer ‘Haikou’ and the guided-missile frigate Yueyang’.
So the fact that one or two Chinese Navy ships are seen in the Mediterranean and/or seen transiting the Suez Canal, gets twisted in a great rumour that it was going to ‘help’ the Russian Navy. They didn’t then and won’t be this time round.
The origins of this may well come from the fact that one of the 16th ETF did assist in the maritime operation to remove and destroy Syrian chemical weapons back in 2013.
https://m.scmp.com/news/china/article/1385980/china-military-ship-help-guard-syria-chemical-weapons-destruction
Chinese Navy is going to help the Russian Navy Mediterranean
This buzz is on social media. Well, it isn’t true and just plain wishful thinking on the part of some people. We had the exact rumour back in April, at a time of heightened crisis, same situation, same rumour. That proved to be unfounded and this is the latest reincarnation.
Putting that erroneous news story to bed.
Well it so happens that the PLA Navy routinely sends out a naval group to the Gulf of Aden.
Officially known as the Escort Task Force (ETF), this deployment has been ongoing since 2008. The ETF is primarily tasked with escorting merchant shipping through potential hostile waters.
Update: the handover in images
Given that piracy in the area has considerably waned, this has enabled the PLA(N) to extend the ETF deployments to include diplomacy missions. At its core is a counter-piracy operation, which is very useful for the PLAN as it gives vital long-distance operational experience to its Fleet. Secondly, the ships carry out overseas goodwill visits. It is this aspect that is significant and it is attention-grabbing.
Here’s the latest 3-ship rotation that left China on 6th August.
“The navy had escorted 6,400 Chinese and foreign vessels.”
Notice the number 30th? That’s the 30th rotation and each rotation typically lasts four months.
Latest to go are the:
Frigates ‘Handan’ and ‘Wuhu’.
replenishment oiler Dongpinghu
Replacing the
‘Xuzhou’ and ‘Binzhou’
Replenishment oiler ‘Qiandaohu’
Brest, France in July. http://eng.chinamil.com.cn/view/2018-07/04/content_8079827.htm Prior to that, it was in Germany and Poland.
https://twitter.com/chinadailyusa/status/1030235259646799872?s=21
It appears that the ‘Binzhou’ is back in the Gulf of Aden area, having transited the Mediterranean and Suez Canal.
The 30th Chinese naval ETF is expected to arrive in the Gulf of Aden in early September and take over the escort mission from the 29th ETF.
When the 30th ETF arrives and after a short handover period, all of the 29th ETF will then go on a goodwill voyage. Just like other groups have done so in the past.
The 28th did so sailing around Africa,and in the process, just happened to have transited the Med, calling into Ghana, Cameroon and Gabon. It finally called into South Africa before heading home.
http://eng.chinamil.com.cn/view/2018-07/03/content_8078773.htm
Likewise, the 27th ETF went to Algiers in January of this year. It included both the:
The guided-missile destroyer ‘Haikou’ and the guided-missile frigate Yueyang’.
So the fact that one or two Chinese Navy ships are seen in the Mediterranean and/or seen transiting the Suez Canal, gets twisted in a great rumour that it was going to ‘help’ the Russian Navy. They didn’t then and won’t be this time round.
The origins of this may well come from the fact that one of the 16th ETF did assist in the maritime operation to remove and destroy Syrian chemical weapons back in 2013.
https://m.scmp.com/news/china/article/1385980/china-military-ship-help-guard-syria-chemical-weapons-destruction