GULF OF ADEN, November 18 (ChinaMil) -- The guided missile frigate “Hengshui” of the 15th escort taskforce of the Navy of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLAN), which is on an escort mission in the Gulf of Aden and the waters off the Somali coast, held a maritime drill with the guided missile frigate “Hetman Sahaidachnyi” (U130) of the Ukrainian Navy on an escort mission in the same water area on the morning of November 14, local time.
The joint maritime drill is featured by joint search and rescue as well as boarding and inspection.
This is the first time for the navies of China and Ukraine to hold a maritime joint drill.
The maritime joint search and rescue drill was conducted against the background that the escort taskforces of China and Ukraine were to provide humanitarian assistance for a merchant ship of a third country hit by a powerful typhoon....
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During the drill, the Chinese and Ukrainian warships simulated in turn the merchant ship suspected of carrying illegal cargo to accept the boarding and inspection of the other side.
The Ukrainian guided missile frigate “Hetman Sahaidachnyi” simulated the merchant ship first. After the Chinese guided missile frigate “Hengshui” demanded it to accept boarding and inspection, the “merchant ship” stopped and drifted, and the frigate “Hengshui” dispatched a joint inspection team to board the ship and carry out inspection.
After the inspection was done, the frigate “Hengshui” also simulated the merchant ship to accept boarding and inspection.
After the drill, Jiang Zhonghua, commander of the Chinese side, and Talasov, commander of the Ukrainian side, met on the Chinese guided missile frigate “Hengshui”.
During the meeting, both sides expressed that this drill is conducive to deepening the friendship between the two navies. It helps improve the coordination and cooperation between the taskforces of the two countries in escort operations.