"Statement of intent" signed to sell “unseaworthy” Royal Navy ships HMS Albion and Bulwark to Brazil

The Ministry of Defence (MoD) has confirmed that an agreement has been signed with the South American nation to buy HMS Albion and HMS Bulwark, with further details yet to be finalised. Both Albion-class Landing Platform Docks were officially decommissioned, alongside other Royal Navy and military assets, by defence secretary John Healey in November last year.

Discussions around a sale reached an advanced stage last month. In response to a parliamentary written question by Conservative MP Ben Obese-Jecty, Maria Eagle MP confirmed a statement of intent (SOI) has been signed between the UK and Brazil; staying tight-lipped over any potential price due to “commercial sensitivities”.

The minister for defence procurement said: “On a recent visit to Brazil, at the Latin American Aerospace and Defence Expo, I witnessed the signing of a Statement of Intent (SOI) between the Federative Republic of Brazil and the UK Ministry of Defence. This concerned cooperation and assistance in relation to the acquisition of HMS Albion and HMS Bulwark.

“This is a significant step in strengthening bilateral defence cooperation with Brazil and enables discussions regarding the possible sale of the vessels to the Brazilian Navy. I am unable to provide further information due to commercial sensitivities.”

The UK Defence Journal reported that a “protocol of intentions” was signed on April 2 during the LAAD Defence & Security 2025 event, signifying the Brazilian Navy’s intentions of purchasing HMS Albion and Bulwark. Their ability to carry out amphibious operations and support humanitarian disaster relief has been deemed a major asset to the force. The MoD previously sold HMS Ocean to Brazil for roughly £84m in 2018.

Why are HMS Albion and HMS Bulwark being sold?

Ms Eagle previously said it was not a cost-effective use of taxpayers’ money to keep both Landing Platforms, with maintenance costs running up to £9m a year. She added that both ships required costly and time-consuming refits - neither expected to go to sea before their end of service life dates - and the Royal Navy fleet needed to be modernised.

Mr Healey previously said both of these ships were “superficially kept on the books” by the previous Conservative government, despite them being a long way away from returning to sea. He added that top military brass and senior officials conducting the Strategic Defence Review - the ongoing analysis of the armed forces and what the UK needs to bolster its national security - gave the go-ahead for the decision.

Lieutenant General Sir Robert Magowan KCB CBE reiterated the need to modernise the fleet while appearing before the Defence Select Committee in December. Type 23 frigate HMS Northumberland was also decommissioned alongside 46 watchkeeper Mk1 drones, 14 Chinook helicopter, two Wave-class tankers and 17 Puma helicopters.

The general previously said: “In terms of the six retirements, the secretary of state outlined to the house the implications of that. Three of those involved vessels that were no longer seaworthy, so we were spending money against capabilities that were never going to be used operationally. There was a pretty strong case with regards to those three classes of ship.”

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