HANGZHOU -- A Chinese navy fleet returned to the port city of Zhoushan in East China's Zhejiang province on Tuesday after completing its mission of escorting civilian vessels in the Gulf of Aden and in the waters off Somalia.

The 41st fleet of the Chinese People's Liberation Army Navy, comprising the missile destroyer Suzhou, the missile frigate Nantong and the supply ship Chaohu, escorted 38 Chinese and foreign ships during the mission. The fleet set sail from Zhoushan on May 18, 2022.

The escort squad travelled nearly 90,000 nautical miles during its 182-day voyage without entering a port for rest.

China in December 2008 began dispatching naval ships to carry out vessel protection operations in the Gulf of Aden and the waters off Somalia.