Russia, China round up joint naval exercise in Baltic Sea

KALININGRAD. KAZINFORM Russian-Chinese naval exercise Joint Sea 2017 wound up in the Baltic Sea on Thursday, Captain 1st Rank Roman Martov, the official spokesman for Russia's Baltic Fleet told TASS .

"Ships of the Russian Navy and of the Chinese Naval Force rounded up their maneuvering under the program of the active phase of the joint naval exercise in the Baltic Sea," he said. "The Baltic Fleet's Corvettes Boykiy and Steregushchiy have returned to their permanent base in the port of Baltiysk in the Kaliningrad region."

"The Chinese destroyer Hefei, the frigate Yuncheng and the support ship Lomahu are heading for St Petersburg to take part in the festivities on the occasion of Russian Navy Day on July 30," Capt. Martov said.

In the course of maneuvers that took place from July 25 through July 27, the seamen fulfilled all the provisions of the exercise program. Specifically, the crews did artillery firing at waterborne and aerial targets, using about 1,500 shells for the purpose.

Also, the Russian and Chinese seamen drilled assistance to a distressed ship, as well as search for and rescue of people on high seas.

"They had to accomplish the tasks of the active phase of the exercise amid a complicated weather situation, as gusts of wind reached 15 meters per second in the central water area of the Baltic and the heaving of the sea was rough," Capt. Martov said.

Crews of a Norwegian frigate, a Swedish Corvette, and a French reconnaissance aircraft watched the progress of the maneuvers.

"The joint staff of the exercise will sum up the results of the drills later," Capt. Martov said.
Gallery 12 photo

Russia's Baltic fleet in photos