Germany's Federal Ministry of Defence (BMVg) announced on 26 March that Germany is funding reconstruction at the naval base in Beirut, which was damaged during the massive explosion at the nearby port on 4 August 2020. The BMVg said EUR2.3 million (USD2.7 million) has been donated and work has begun on a multifunctional complex with workshops, offices, accommodation, and a canteen. "Germany is making it possible for Lebanon to have significantly better maintenance and repair options for its naval units," the BMVg quoted Rear Admiral Alex Schulz, the German officer who currently commands the UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL's) Maritime Task Force, as saying. "This will enable the Lebanese navy to become more operational so that it can take on the long-term tasks of securing its own territorial waters." The BMVg noted that Germany is already involved in supporting the Lebanese Naval Forces, having given them the patrol boat Tabarja in 2008. It said it is funding the maintenance for Tabarja and other vessels as well as the modernisation of the naval school at Jounieh, where new accommodation and training facilities are being built.
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