China's sixth naval escort flotilla has departed for the Gulf of Aden near Somalia. It is to place the fifth flotilla, which has been cruising the waters there for over three months.

The convoy has more than 1,000 personnel, including Navy special forces troops. The amphibious landing ship Kunlunshan, destroyer Lanzhou, and supply ship Weishanhu of the fifth fleet, will escort vessels sailing through the region.

It is the first deployment of the amphibious landing ship Kunlunshan on an escort mission. The previous five Chinese fleets to the Gulf of Aden have escorted more than 2,000 Chinese and foreign ships in this region, which has been plagued by pirate attacks, since December 2008.