Editor's Note: August 1 marks the 92nd anniversary of the founding of the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA). In this episode of "Come Together" series, CGTN looks at the joint escort missions authorized by the United Nations in the Gulf of Aden against Somali pirates since 2008.
"A cargo ship named OS35 (was hijacked) and armed pirates aboard were setting it on fire," recalled Li Wei, a former escort fleet soldier in the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) Navy.
On April 8, 2017, OS35, a cargo ship registered in Tuvalu, was hijacked by Somali pirates in the Gulf of Aden. Since the pirates were already aboard and in a position to attack the crew at any time, the 25th fleet of the Chinese PLA naval escort mission decided to rescue the ship by force in collaboration with other navies.
"We did a class-one anti-piracy deployment," said Gong Kaifeng, another escort fleet soldier. "We were divided into two groups. One group was responsible for raiding the ship and protecting the crew, while the other group was responsible for searching and clearing the ship."
Under helicopter cover by the Indian Navy, the Chinese commandos boarded the ship. Then they realized that the situation was even more complicated than they had imagined. The pirates were already hiding and could attack the crew at any time.
"The pirates had set fire to the rear deck, and they had shot up bridge with an AK-47," Li Changli, an escort fleet soldier, told CGTN.
The Chinese soldiers combed the ship, and after more than three hours of operation, they rescued all 19 Filipino crew members and captured all three of the pirates.
The rescue of OS35 marks the first time that the Chinese PLA naval fleet used force against Somali pirates since their escort missions began in 2008. Such rescue operations are not rare in the Gulf of Aden.
Located between Yemen and Somalia, the Gulf of Aden is one of the most dangerous areas in the world, with rampant piracy along the coastline posing a serious security threat to passing ships.
"In 2008 alone, there were nearly 120 pirate attacks with more than 50 cargo ships hijacked," noted Zhang Junshe, a researcher at the PLA Naval Research Academy.
To put an end to the threat of the pirates, in 2008, the United Nations (UN) passed four resolutions, calling on and authorizing UN member states to perform escort missions in the Gulf of Aden and waters off the Somali coast.
In response to the resolutions, the EU, the U.S., Russia, China and India, along with many other countries, dispatched fleets to the Gulf of Aden on escort missions. In the past decade, China has deployed over 100 vessels and 26,000 officers and sailors in 31 convoys, each consisting of three to four ships. They have protected to over 6,600 Chinese and foreign ships and rescued, protected or assisted over 70 ships in distress.
Nearly 20 countries from around the world have participated in escort missions in the Gulf of Aden. Navies from different countries have collaborated in joint escort operations, anti-piracy exercises and humanitarian rescue drills, which greatly strengthened their capability to combat piracy.
Thanks to the joint efforts of the international community, piracy in the Gulf of Aden has reduced significantly since 2013. The global community should continue the cooperation in maintaining international peace and security to create a better future for mankind.