On 11 July 2013, the Brazilian frigate BNS União (F45) will take over from BNS Constituição (F42) as Brazil’s contribution to the UNIFIL Maritime Task Force.
União and Constituição are both Niterói-class frigates built to the Vosper Thornycroft Mk 10 design.
Constituição was built for the Marinha do Brazil at the Thornycroft yard in Woolton, Hants. (now Babcock Marine) and completed in 1978.
União was built under licence at Arsenal de Marinha do Rio de Janeiro and completed in 1980.
The UNIFIL Maritime Task Force has been deployed in the Mediterranean since October 2006 within the mandate of United Nations Security Council resolution 1701 (2006). The task force the Lebanese Navy in monitoring its territorial waters, securing the Lebanese coastline and preventing the unauthorized entry of arms or related material by sea into Lebanon.
Naval Matters 