China's 48th naval escort task force steamed back into port in Qingdao, east China's Shandong Province, on Friday – 378 days, 150,000 nautical miles and 423 escorted ships later.

During its deployment in the Gulf of Aden, the task force ran round-the-clock drills in armed rescue and helicopter ops, took part in joint naval exercises with South Africa and Pakistan, and turned out for a parade marking 50 years of Seychelles independence.

There were port calls too: goodwill visits to Bangladesh, Myanmar and Malaysia, as well as technical stops in Oman, Kenya, Singapore and beyond.