Taxpayer cost to maintain retired HMS Albion revealed as no sale for ex-Royal Navy flagship confirmed
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The cost of maintaining a retired Royal Navy ship that was due to be sold to Brazil has been revealed.
Minister for defence readiness and industry, Luke Pollard, confirmed that £2m a year is being spent on HMS Albion. The Landing Platform Dock was decommissioned in November 2024 in a bid to raise money, alongside her sister ship HMS Bulwark.
The latter is being sold to Brazil, after an original deal for both of the vessels was changed. Shadow defence secretary James Cartlidge asked the Ministry of Defence (MoD) what the policy to sell HMS Albion is, and how much has been spent in upkeep for the ship since she was retired.
Responding to the parliamentary written question, Mr Pollard said: “The annual maintenance cost for HMS Albion is circa £2 million per annum. This expenditure is to ensure that the ship remains safe whilst alongside HMNB Devonport on a tidal mooring. This ensures the ship remains compliant with environmental and safety legislation until disposal is complete.”
In a different question, the Labour MP said HMS Albion was “being retained to support the generation of HMS Bulwark prior to her sale to Brazil”. “No plans for HMS Albion's disposal have been confirmed,” he added. “HMS Albion and HMS Bulwark were tied up by the last government with no intention to send them to sea again before their out of service dates in the 2030s.”
The Ministry of Defence’s Annual Report and Accounts showed that the government body has made a constructive loss of £428m from selling the Landing Platform Docks. Mr Pollard previously said this was calculated by using the remaining value and capital works of both ships, their associated spares, and consumables.
When announcing their retirement in November 2024, defence secretary John Healey originally said the ships were decommissioned after being "superficially kept on the books” at a cost of £9m a year. He added that the total package of the capabilities retired would save the taxpayer will save £150m over the next two years, and up to £500m over the next five years - with funds remaining in defence.
The criticism has come from not bolstering the Royal Navy fleet - with new frigates being years away from completion - and the specific loss of the Royal Marine landing capability. A lack of clarity over the sale price for HMS Bulwark has also caused angst among critics. Her sale to Brazil has not yet been completed, but has been signed off.
Terms were finalised aboard HMS Mersey at the Defence & Security Equipment International (DSEI) conference in London in September 2025. HMS Bulwark is due to be renamed NDM Oiapoque once her renovations in Plymouth are completed.