On Monday morning, the first asylum seekers arrived on the huge barge “Bibby Stockholm”. The British government decided to host them there while waiting for their request for international protection to be evaluated. The barge is moored in Portland Peninsula Harbor in the south of the UK and is 91 meters long, 27 meters wide and as tall as a three-story building. The British government, backed by the Conservatives and led by Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, has chartered it for 18 months to house around 500 asylum seekers. In all, around 50 asylum seekers should board it on Monday, and it should reach its maximum capacity in the coming weeks.
The use of the vessel is part of a highly controversial plan by the British government which aims to reduce the arrivals of asylum seekers from France and crossing the English Channel. It is highly controversial because, in the part that does not concern the barge, it stipulates that the vast majority of asylum seekers arriving in the UK by sea will be deported without having their claim examined.
The barge will be used by the British authorities to deal with the part of migrants who are not immediately deported and who actually apply for asylum. It will be used to house hundreds of asylum seekers in a place that is easier to monitor than hotels scattered across the country. To date, around 51,000 asylum seekers are waiting for the outcome of their request in government facilities or in various British hotels.