Brazilian Navy officially purchases Albion-class amphibious assault ship HMS Bulwark from United Kingdom.

On September 10, 2025, the Brazilian Navy signed the contract to acquire the HMS Bulwark, an Albion-class landing platform dock from the British Royal Navy, during the Defence & Security Equipment International (DSEI) exhibition in London. The agreement followed a protocol of intentions signed in April 2025 at the LAAD Defence & Security fair in Rio de Janeiro. Once incorporated into the fleet in 2026, the ship will be renamed Navio-Doca Multipropósito (NDM) Oiapoque.
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The HMS Bulwark is undergoing a full revitalization in Plymouth that includes modernization of command and control systems, communications upgrades, and complete overhauls of propulsion and power generation, with work scheduled to finish in 2026 and an expected life extension of at least two decades. (Picture source: British MoD)

The signing was conducted aboard HMS Mersey by Admiral Edgar Luiz Siqueira Barbosa, Director General of Navy Materiel, and Vice Admiral Martin Connell, Second Sea Lord of the Royal Navy, in the presence of Admiral Marcos Sampaio Olsen, Commander of the Brazilian Navy, and other military and civilian representatives. The United Kingdom’s ambassador to Brazil, Stephanie Al-Qaq, emphasized that the ship’s capabilities would support both humanitarian and defense requirements, while the Brazilian ambassador to London, Antonio Patriota, highlighted long-standing naval cooperation. The acquisition also marked the bicentenary of diplomatic relations between Brazil and the United Kingdom, underlining the broader framework of the partnership. The ship will be renamed Navio-Doca Multipropósito (NDM) Oiapoque when incorporated into the Brazilian fleet in 2026.

The choice of name follows the Brazilian tradition of referencing national geographic features, in this case, the municipality of Oiapoque in Amapá, at the northern border with French Guiana. The name Oiapoque has previously been used by three different Brazilian Navy vessels, ranging from a nineteenth-century steam-powered wooden ship to a Thornycroft-built river craft retired in 1964. The new Oiapoque will be the second-largest ship in the fleet, behind the NAM Atlântico, itself acquired from the United Kingdom in 2018. The Brazilian Navy emphasizes that the vessel will be employed in a wide range of operations, from amphibious deployments to humanitarian missions and disaster relief, while also reinforcing sovereignty in the Amazônia Azul, a maritime area of 5.7 million square kilometers under national jurisdiction that contains mineral and energy resources and is subject to foreign research activity.

The HMS Bulwark (L15), an Albion-class landing platform dock, measures 176 meters in length, has a beam of 28.9 meters, a loaded draft of 7.1 meters, and displaces 18,500 tons. Its maximum sustained speed is 18 knots, equal to approximately 34 km/h, with a range of 8,000 nautical miles. It is operated by a crew of 290 and can accommodate up to 710 embarked troops. The vessel is equipped with a well deck for eight landing craft, allowing for the transport of vehicles, including tanks, ambulances, and engineering equipment for infrastructure reconstruction. It has a flight deck capable of supporting two large helicopters, such as the Airbus H225M Caracal (UH-15 Super Cougar) of the Brazilian Navy, which provides aeromedical evacuation, reconnaissance, and logistics lift. The ship also has medical facilities, including a surgical center, infirmary, and beds for stabilization, and can embark field hospitals, enabling it to evacuate up to 700 people in emergencies. Brazilian sources note that the future Oiapoque will also be delivered with the BAE Systems Artisan 3D radar, already used on the NAM Atlântico.

The vessel is undergoing a complete revitalization in Plymouth, including modernization of command and control systems, upgrades to communications, and a full overhaul of propulsion and power generation systems. The work is scheduled to conclude in 2026, extending the ship’s service life by at least 20 years and aligning it with current operational requirements. Brazilian personnel training is structured in phases, with 48 sailors sent to the United Kingdom in September 2025 and another 44 in November for familiarization and technical instruction, including simulations and joint exercises with Royal Navy crews. The remainder of the crew will follow in 2026, completing the cycle of preparation before the ship is transferred and commissioned into the Brazilian fleet. These steps are integrated into the Navy’s Plan of Force Configuration, which sets acquisition schedules and emphasizes the need to secure multipurpose naval capacity in the short term while national shipbuilding programs continue.

The operational history of HMS Bulwark in British service illustrates the type of tasks Brazil intends to assign it. In 2006, the ship evacuated about 1,300 civilians from Lebanon during the conflict between Israel and Hezbollah. In 2010, it transported military personnel and civilians stranded in Iceland after the eruption of the Eyjafjallajökull volcano disrupted air travel. In 2011, it participated in anti-piracy operations off the coast of Somalia, and in 2015, it provided medical and logistical support during the rescue of more than 2,900 migrants off the coast of Libya. These missions demonstrate its suitability for combined humanitarian and military tasks, and Brazilian authorities reference them when explaining the vessel’s role in national emergencies and international commitments. The ship’s configuration, with multiple landing craft, large troop capacity, and a two-spot flight deck, is consistent with these operational precedents.

The transaction has also been debated in the United Kingdom. Reports in the British press indicated that the sale of HMS Albion and HMS Bulwark could be valued at around £20 million, or approximately R$145 million, despite £132.7 million having been spent on maintenance and refits since 2010. Critics, including Conservative MP Mark Francois, described the decision to decommission and sell the ships as militarily and financially questionable, particularly given that both had originally been slated to remain in service until the early 2030s. The Ministry of Defence under Secretary John Healey of the Labour government announced their withdrawal in late 2024, citing manpower shortages and cost pressures. In Brazil, however, the acquisition is framed as an opportunity to address capability gaps created by obsolescence and budget constraints, and to reinforce expeditionary, humanitarian, and maritime security capacities through the integration of a proven multipurpose platform.

For the Brazilian Navy, the acquisition of HMS Bulwark as NDM Oiapoque is presented as part of the effort to recompose the nucleus of naval power and guarantee presence in areas of strategic interest. Admiral Marcos Sampaio Olsen, Commander of the Navy, stated that the ship will contribute to the exercise of sovereignty over national waters and strengthen operational efficiency in both defense and humanitarian contexts. The Navy stresses that the ship will be employed not only in amphibious power projection but also in the protection of the Amazônia Azul, civil defense support during natural disasters, and humanitarian aid to isolated communities. Officials link the acquisition to broader goals of national integration and interagency cooperation, and emphasize the interoperability benefits gained through training with the Royal Navy. Taken together, the revitalization, renaming, training, and eventual commissioning of the NDM Oiapoque outline a plan to integrate the vessel fully into Brazil’s strategic posture in 2026