HMS Bulwark Transfers to Brazil; the UK–Netherlands Amphibious Replacement Has No First-of-Class Date
London, 28 August 2026
Key points
- The Ministry of Defence announced the transfer of HMS Bulwark, a 2005 landing platform dock, to the Brazilian Navy; transfer value undisclosed
- Sister ship HMS Albion remains at Devonport awaiting disposal; both Albion-class ships leave before a replacement keel is laid
- The replacement is the July 2026 UK–Netherlands agreement: GBP 2.4 billion across the two navies, four vessels each, 160 metres and 15,000 tonnes, built in UK yards with Dutch industry
- The UK's Defence Investment Plan confirms GBP 1.5 billion for the programme, framed as a transition to a "hybrid Navy"
- The release gives no first-of-class date, so the length of the UK's amphibious capability gap is not yet public
The UK Ministry of Defence announced on 28 August that HMS Bulwark transfers to the Brazilian Navy, closing out a 2005-commissioned landing platform dock whose replacement — four UK-built, 15,000-tonne ships under the July UK–Netherlands agreement — has no first-of-class date attached.
Bulwark's transfer value was not disclosed. Sister ship HMS Albion remains at Devonport awaiting disposal, meaning both Albion-class ships leave Royal Navy service before construction starts on their successors. The replacement programme, agreed with The Hague in July, commits GBP 2.4 billion across the two navies for eight ships total — four apiece, 160 metres, 15,000 tonnes, built in British yards with Dutch industrial participation. The UK's Defence Investment Plan lists GBP 1.5 billion of that as confirmed spend toward what the ministry calls a "hybrid Navy". Lord Coaker called the partnership "a real step forward for our Armed Forces, giving our personnel the modern, interoperable capability they need to operate alongside our allies for decades to come."
What the release does not state is when the gap closes. Retiring both amphibious ships ahead of a keel-laying leaves the interval between Bulwark's transfer and a UK amphibious ship re-entering service unbounded in the public record, and the four-per-nation split means UK amphibious lift now depends on a jointly built programme delivering on schedule, not a sovereign build the ministry alone controls the pace of.
The transfer is a capability holiday with a price tag but no clock. Großwald's Signal No. 134 logged Bulwark's disposal. GBP 1.5 billion confirmed against a GBP 2.4 billion total leaves roughly GBP 900 million uncommitted across both navies' shares — a programme without a first-of-class date is a commitment the ministry can still revise, not yet a delivery date to miss.
