Royal Navy: HMS Bulwark could be sold to Brazil as talks start with MoD for former flagship, report says

As reported in the UK Defence Journal, the Brazilian Navy has entered discussions to acquire the Albion-class assault ship HMS Bulwark. Defence secretary John Healey announced in November that she would be officially cut from the Royal Navy fleet, alongside her sister ship HMS Albion and other assets, in a bid to cut costs.

Brazilian-based defence website Podero Naval initially reported the claims in South America, stating that the Brazilian Navy Admiralty has begun negotiations for her acquisition. When the Ministry of Defence (MoD) was approached for comment by the UK Defence Journal, they referred to a recent response to a parliamentary written question.

The response said: “As yet, no further decisions have been made regarding disposal plans for HMS Albion, HMS Bulwark, RFA Wave Knight, and RFA Wave Ruler. As with all decommissioned ships, a full suite of options is being assessed to ensure that the disposal achieves value for money and is policy compliant (safety, environmental and security).”

The Type 23 frigate HMS Northumberland, 46 watchkeeper Mk1 drones, 14 Chinook helicopters and 17 Puma aircraft are among the other assets being retired by the MoD. Mr Healey previously said the military capabilities taken out of service will save £150m over the next two years, and up to £500m over the next five years - with funds remaining in defence. The cuts to the landing platform docks sparked criticism from opposition politicians due to its impact on the Royal Marines. HMS Bulwark and HMS Albion are expected to be fully decommissioned in early 2025.

At a defence select committee meeting earlier this month, Lieutenant General Sir Robert Magowan KCB CBE said it was the right thing to cut the two Albion-class vessels - alongside HMS Northumberland - were no longer seaworthy and the government was spending money on capabilities that were never going to be used operationally. Despite this, he added that “uncomfortable” issues around overall readiness still remained.