Germany has donated a third patrol vessel to the Lebanese Navy following the delivery in 2007 of two former police craft. The 27.8 m, 126-ton Tabarja (ex-Bergen) will begin its new life in the eastern Mediterranean following a handover ceremony in Beiruton 17 June. The police units Bremen 2 and Bremen 9 were transferred in June 2007, when they were re-named Amchit and Naqoura and became the largest patrol craft operated by the modest naval arm of the Lebanese armed forces. Tabarja was built by Lurssen and entered service in 1994 as a range safety vessel, with twin diesel engines and two shafts giving a maximum speed of 16 kt. Although slower than its contemporaries, Tabarja is expected to compensate for its lack of sprint speed with better sea keeping and endurance. As part of the assistance package, Germany has provided seamanship and littoral surveillance training to the Lebanese Navy and also a coastal radar surveillance system.
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