Regeneration of axed HMS Bulwark to be completed this year before planned sale to Brazil

Regeneration of the decommissioned HMS Bulwark is expected to be completed this year, Defence Readiness and Industry Minister Luke Pollard has confirmed. 

One of two Albion-class landing platform docks built for the Royal Navy, both Bulwark and Albion were retired in March last year as part of wider defence cost-saving measures. 

That same year, it was announced that Bulwark would be sold to the Brazilian Navy – reportedly for around £20m – where it would be renamed NDM Oiapoque to bolster the country's coastal security. 

• HMS Albion and Bulwark could be sailing for Brazil as MOD considers sell-off
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• Former Royal Marines chief warns of capability gap after axing of HMS Albion and Bulwark

As a landing ship dock, the 176-metre-long amphibious assault ship acted as a cornerstone of the Royal Marines' operational capability, transporting and launching forces. 

However, due to a combination of crew shortages, high maintenance costs and shifting defence priorities, both Bulwark and her sister ship Albion faced extended periods alongside. 

The former was last put to sea in 2023, while the latter had effectively been out of service since 2017. 

In the long term, the Ministry of Defence is building a new class of up to six multi-role support ships (MRSS) expected to enter service in the early 2030s.

These vessels are designed to replace not only the Albion-class ships, but also the three RFA Bay-class landing ships and RFA Argus.

Capability gaps 

The end of the road for both vessels came in 2024, when then-defence secretary John Healey announced the Landing Platform Docks would be decommissioned earlier than planned as part of a series of cost-cutting measures expected to save defence up to £500m over the next five years.

At the time, Retired Major General Buster Howes expressed his concerns to BFBS Forces News, citing that Royal Marines will not be as effective operating from RFA vessels, which have supported recent Commando deployments and training.