A ceremony is held before a Chinese naval fleet sets sail from a port in Sanya City of China's southernmost island province of Hainan on December 26, 2008. The Chinese naval fleet including two destroyers and a supply ship from the South China Sea Fleet set off on Friday for waters off Somalia for an escort mission against piracy. [Xinhua]

The three-ship task force of China's warships headed to waters off the Somali coast on an escort mission left China's territory on Sunday after two days and nights travel.

It sailed across Nansha Waters on the South China Sea on Saturday after its departure from Sanya of south China's Hainan Province on Friday afternoon.

At the navy's routine ceremony for overseas visits, officers and soldiers swore devotion to the country, the Chinese people and the mission in the South China Sea before sailing for the Strait of Malacca.

Sailors on board the warship DDG-169 Wuhan, a multi-purpose missile destroyer of Type 052B of the People's Liberation Army Navy, conducted military exercises on Saturday.

Rear-Admiral Du Jingchen, commander of the force, who also serves as chief of staff of the South China Sea Fleet, said on the departure day that the expedition had not been given any landing plans and the warships would not accept assignments from other countries or regional organizations.

(Xinhua News Agency December 29, 2008)