Brazil’s purchase of HMS Ocean confirmed

The sale of Royal Navy helicopter carrier HMS Ocean to the Brazilian Navy has been officially confirmed, UK media reported.

The price was set at £84 million, according to the reports.

The sale is to take place next month while the ship itself will sail to Brazil in the summer.

Babcock and BAE Systems will carry out modifications on the HMS Ocean  before it is transferred to Brazil.

The sale of HMS Ocean was managed by the Defence Equipment Sales Authority (DESA), which is part of the MOD’s procurement organisation, Defence Equipment and Support.

“The successful sale of HMS Ocean to the Brazilian Navy will provide a financial return to the UK which will now be reinvested in defense,” Clive Walker, head of DESA, said.

Reports of the sale of HMS Ocean to Brazil started circulating shortly after the Royal Navy announced the ship’s decommissioning.

In addition to Brazil, Turkey was confirmed as another potential buyer of the helicopter carrier in November 2017.

HMS Ocean is to decommission from the Royal Navy at a ceremony in Devonport on March 27, after 20 years of service.

I served on HMS OCEAN. Sad day to see her go today, but determined our amphibious capabilities as a nation will only modernise and grow, and remain centred on #Plymouth. Looking forward to the Modernising Defence review later this year. pic.twitter.com/PuqSXuTMhM

— Johnny Mercer MP (@JohnnyMercerUK) February 17, 2018

HMS Ocean concluded her final deployment as a commissioned Royal Navy ship on December 19, 2017. On February 9, 2018, the ship entered her Devonport Naval Base homeport with a 203-meter decommissioning pennant.

The ship will likely take the place of Brazil’s sole aircraft carrier BNS Sao Paulo (A 12) which is set for decommissioning after the Brazilian Navy determined that the cost of returning the aircraft carrier to an operational status was too high.

After several attempts to improve the ship’s operational capacity failed in previous years, the navy reasoned that a modernization procedure would necessitate heavy investment without a guarantee of operational improvement.

Brazil reportedly plans to use the ship as a fully operational asset.