Chinese Spy Ship HAI YANG 24 HAO in the Indian Ocean Region

With three warships of the 44th anti-piracy mission in the Persian Gulf-Oman area, the Chinese have pushed in the 45th anti-piracy mission. Besides the warships, Chinese ships crisscross the Indian Ocean

New Delhi: It’s the Indian Ocean all right, but there are more major Chinese warships in the area than Indian.

The Peoples Liberation Army-Navy (PLA-N) has not just the usual three warships, officially as part of the anti-piracy mission in the Indian Ocean, but an unprecedented six, along with a Song-class submarine entering Karachi port, in Pakistan, and also a submarine-tender.

With three warships of the 44th anti-piracy mission in the Persian Gulf-Oman area, the Chinese have pushed in the 45th anti-piracy mission, also comprising three warships, currently in the Red Sea-Aden area, plus a submarine tender, Chang Dao. There is also a “spy” ship Xian-6 in the Indian Ocean.

Besides the warships, Chinese ships crisscross the Indian Ocean. Including tankers and freight carriers, there are, at any given time, about a hundred ships in the area. If Hong Kong-registered ships are considered, the number is even more.

The Song-class submarine’s presence in Karachi is another example of the close ties between China and Pakistan. In the past, Chinese conventional submarines like the Song-class one, would dock in Sri Lankan ports, but after protests by India, Colombo has stopped hosting them.