Joint patrol underway in Taiwan Straits

A joint patrol operation has been launched in the central and northern parts of the Taiwan Straits, the Maritime Safety Administration of coastal Fujian province announced on Wednesday.

The joint patrol and inspection operation was a special task, according to a brief news release of the administration, which included an illustrated map of the Taiwan Straits without any further details.

The Haixun 06, the largest maritime patrol ship in the Taiwan Straits, would be leading the patrol, according to Yuyuantantian, an online news account affiliated to China Media Group.

The account released a short video on Wednesday showing pilots in the cockpit steering the ship.

The Haixun 06, or Sea Patrol 06, is the first large patrol/rescue vessel in the Taiwan Straits and was commissioned last July. The Fujian Maritime Safety Administration said the ship is the most advanced ship it operates.

It is tasked with conducting law enforcement patrols, monitoring maritime traffic, responding to emergencies and searching for and rescuing ships and crew, as well as extinguishing fires and handling pollution.

The ship carried out its first patrol operation in late July last year, which covered the coastal regions of Fujian and lasted a week, according to Fujian Daily.