UK Confirms Sale of HMS Bulwark to Brazilian Navy
A United Kingdom navy ship that was instrumental in the evacuation of civilians from Beirut in 2006 and active from 2005 to 2016 is ending its service with the Royal Navy. The Ministry of Defence confirmed the long-rumored transfer of HMS Bulwark to Brazil.
The HMS Bulwark (L15) is one of two Albion Class amphibious assault ships whose fate has been the subject of speculation. Both ships have been out of service for years, undergoing life-extension overhauls with the British government committing significant investments in their upgrade program.
For Bulwark, which was commissioned in 2005, the government has spent a total of $100 million on her midlife upgrade project that is nearing completion. The revitalization program has involved the modernization of its command and control systems, upgrades to communications equipment, and a full overhaul of its propulsion and power generation systems. The aim was to extend her operational service life by another two decades.
Instead of returning the landing platform dock ship to service with the Royal Navy, the UK’s Defense Ministry has now ended the speculation by confirming she is being sold to the Brazilian Navy. While the government did not reveal the price at which the ship was sold, reports indicate it was sold at only $26 million. The same fate is likely to befall her sister ship, Albion, which remains moored at the Devonport naval base pending disposal.
The MoD asserts the disposal of the two ships was part of the government’s plan to modernize navy ships. It highlights the effort to transition to a hybrid Navy, which it says will be anchored by a £1.5 billion ($2 billion) Defense Investment Plan.
A new £2.4 billion ($3.2 billion) deal has since been signed in partnership with the Netherlands for construction of a fleet of eight next-generation amphibious transport ships that will replace the capability provided by the Albion class. At 160 meters (525 feet) in length and displacing 15,000 tonnes, the new vessels will be capable of transporting troops, vehicles and equipment, including drones, wherever they are needed.
Bulwark passing her sister Albion in December 2016 when she ended active service (Royal Navy)
Bulwark, which is 176 meters (577 feet) long, displaces 18,500 tonnes, and has capacity for 700 military personnel, is being sold after an illustrious service with the Royal Navy. The ship’s core roles were amphibious deployments, humanitarian missions, and multinational exercises. It is credited for her role in Operation Highbrow that involved the evacuation of British citizens during the 2006 Lebanon crisis. Other critical missions included providing maritime security for the Sailing Regatta at the London 2012 Olympics and counter-piracy operations in the Horn of Africa. Bulwark was also involved in various naval exercises and served as the Royal Navy’s Fleet Flagship between 2011 and 2015.
“HMS Bulwark served this country and our allies with distinction for over two decades, and I’m pleased that she will continue her story in Brazilian service, with a nation that has long stood alongside us as a defense partner,” said Lord Coaker, UK Minister of State for Defense.
The ship was ordered to stand down at the end of 2016, entering a period of Extended Readiness scheduled to run until 2021. For the next two years, until 2023, she was scheduled to undergo her overhaul and modernization. Critics now question the investments in the ships, which have never returned to service.
that matters most
Get the latest maritime news delivered to your inbox daily.
When she enters service with the Brazilian Navy, the ship is expected to be primarily deployed in operations in the Blue Amazon region, where she will be useful for a wide variety of both military and humanitarian aid operations supporting the civil community.
This is not the first time the UK has sold naval hardware to Brazil. The multipurpose aircraft carrier, NAM Atlântico (A140), which is the flagship and largest warship in the Brazilian Navy, was acquired from the UK at a cost of $84 million in 2018.
