China releases video to mark 15th anniversary of its Gulf of Aden escort missions

For the past 15 years, the message "This is Chinese PLA Navy convoy. If you require any assistance, please contact via VHF Channel 16" has been continuously broadcast in both Chinese and English to passing ships in the Gulf of Aden. The message sent by escort fleets dispatched by the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) Navy has become a signal of safety for many merchant ships. Fleets dispatched by the Chinese Navy have escorted more than 7,200 vessels in the Gulf of Aden and waters off Somalia since their first escort mission in December 2008.