UNIFIL's Maritime Task Force (MTF) bids farewell to its commander, and welcomes a new Rear Admiral to take over the command.

The outgoing Brazilian commander of the MTF Rear Admiral Wagner Lopes de Moraes Zamith handed over the command to Rear Admiral Joese De Andrade Bandeira Leandro of Brazil aboard the Frigate Conrigate Constitucao (Brazil) in the presence of UNIFIL Force Commander Major-General Paolo Serra, representatives of the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) as well as diplomats and officers from UNIFIL Troop Contributing Countries.

Rear Admiral Zamith's feelings were mixed, as he looked back at his one year tenure with extraordinary happiness, yet admitted that he would dearly miss his time spent in Lebanon.

"It has been a period of great achievements and personal and professional enhancement" said Rear Admiral Zamith, who managed to significantly enhance the activity at sea, with 1,272 vessels referred to the LAF-Navy for inspections during the period of his tenure.

"This represents an increase by almost 30 percent from the previous period, underlining the important role of the maritime task force at this time of regional instability" said UNIFIL Force Commander Major-General Paolo Serra.

In his last moments as the MTF commander, and before witnessing the symbolism of the transfer of the United Nations flag to his successor, Rear Admiral Zamith paused to voice his 'last words of exaltation to Lebanon'.

"I have had a great time in Lebanon, the country of beautiful landscapes, rich culture and hospitable people" he said.

Rear Admiral Zamith, who embarked on his career at sea in 1974, has been awarded many medals. "However the medal I received from UNIFIL and the other from the Lebanese government are exceptionally special and I shall wear them on my uniform with honour and privilege" he added.

To his successor, incoming Rear Admiral Leandro, he wished an unforgettable tenure in the land of cedars, hoping that he can be as happy and gratified as he was.

Rear Admiral Leandro, who felt honoured to be filling Admiral Zamith's shoes, had joined the Brazilian Navy in 1976. He studied at the Brazilian Navy Academy and graduated in 1982. He was appointed as Commander of the Naval High School in March 2010 and rose through the ranks to Rear Admiral in November 2011 and was assigned to be the Sub Chief of the Organisation and Maritime issues of the Naval Operations Command. Throughout his career he was awarded a number of Brazilian military medals.

"It will be a privilege, to continue the outstanding job undertaken by those who have preceded us since the Maritime Task Force was deployed in 2006, in particular, Rear Admiral Zamith" expressed Rear Admiral Leandro during his speech.

The MTF performs a dual mandate of carrying out maritime interdiction operations and providing training to the Lebanese Navy. Since the start of its operations in October 2006 the MTF has hailed nearly 49,800 ships, and a total of 3,088 ships were inspected by the Lebanese Authorities. UNIFIL-MTF currently comprises naval units from Bangladesh (2 ships), Germany (2 ships), Greece (1 ship), Brazil (1 ship) and Turkey (1 ship).

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Article: Ghinwa El Deek
Producer: Suzane Badereddine
Video Cameraman: Mohamad Hamze
Photos: Pasqual Gorriz

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