At the major arms show DSEI (Defence & Security Equipment International) in London at the beginning of September, Brazil signed the contract to take over the ex-HMS Bulwark (LPD Albion class, 176 metres, 18,500 tonnes) - something that was already in the pipeline at the beginning of the year in the form of a bilateral MoU. The amphibious dock landing ship has an eventful history: It had already evacuated Britons from Lebanon in 2006, repatriated stranded passengers from Iceland after the volcanic eruption in 2010, hunted pirates off Somalia in 2011 and fished thousands of migrants out of the water off Libya in 2015. The ship is currently undergoing a thorough overhaul in Plymouth, including the renewal of the command system and telecommunications suite, as well as the propulsion and power generation systems. From the middle of next year, the 25-year-old ship will be in service as a multi-purpose landing platform under the name "Oiapoque" - for another twenty years.