A multinational fleet successfully carried out a search and rescue drill on Friday in the Arabian Sea off the Pakistani coast.

The drill ended successfully, said Luo Xianlin, chief of staff of the two-vessel Chinese flotilla.

The two-hour operation under the command of the Chinese navy was part of a larger military exercise involving Bangladesh, China, France, Italy, Malaysia, Pakistan, Turkey, the United Kingdom, and the United States.

It was the first time for the Chinese navy to lead and coordinate a multinational drill on such a scale, said Luo.

Although there were 12 vessels from eight countries, the communication and coordination went smoothly and they all performed professionally, Luo said of the operation.

The multinational naval exercise AMAN-07, or Peace-07, runs from from March 6 to 13.

Source: Xinhua