BEIJING - The ninth group of Chinese navy escort ships left the Zhanjiang Port in southern China's Guangdong province on Saturday for the Gulf of Aden and waters off Somalia on an escort mission, the Ministry of Transport said.

The new fleet, comprising the destroyer Wuhan, and the frigate Yulin, as well as the supply ship Qinghaihu, will replace a flotilla sent earlier to guard against pirates, according to a statement on the ministry's website.

The fleet is armed with two helicopters and carries a total of 878 seamen and officers on board, including dozens of Marine Corps.

The destroyer Wuhan and the frigate Yulin will arrive in the Gulf of Aden and the waters off Somali after they participate in an international defense exhibition in Brunei, according to the statement.

To date, the Chinese navy fleets have escorted 3,968 ships from countries all over the world and rescued 40 ships attacked by pirates.