A 93-metre long “mega barge” will be used to house asylum seekers in Britain for the first time, the Home Office announced on Wednesday.
The Bibby Stockholm, built in 1976, will accommodate more than 500 men and will be moored off the coast of Dorset.
The Government insists the plan to place migrants on the boat will cut the £6million-a-day hotel bill it currently pays to house them while their asylum claims are assessed.
The three-storey Bibby Stockholm barge was previously used by the Dutch government to house asylum seekers but was branded an “oppressive environment” to live in. It previously saw at least one person die and reports of rape and abuse on board.
Promotional material says the boat has 222 bedrooms for 222 guests but the Home Office plans to house around 500 men, sometimes four to a room, while stationed in Portland Port.
The boat was previously used by energy firm Petrofac for workers building the Shetland Gas Plant.
It is unclear whether the Games Rooms with pool tables, dart boards and bar will be retained by the Home Office.
The Mirror reported that chartering such a vessel costs between £8,000 to £15,000 a day.
Confirming the use of the Bibby Stockholm barge, immigration minister Robert Jenrick said: “The Home Secretary and I have been clear that the use of expensive hotels to house those making unnecessary and dangerous journeys must stop.
“We will not elevate the interests of illegal migrants over the British people we are elected to serve.
“We have to use alternative accommodation options, as our European neighbours are doing – including the use of barges and ferries to save the British taxpayer money and to prevent the UK becoming a magnet for asylum shoppers in Europe.
“All accommodation will meet our legal obligations and we will work closely with the local community to address their concerns, including through financial support.”
Conservative-run Dorset Council has opposed the use of Portland Port as the site for the huge vessel.
Local Tory MP Richard Drax said: “We will look at any way we can stop this.”
The Home Office said the barge will provide “basic and functional accommodation”, healthcare provision and catering facilities.
Around-the-clock security will be in place on board “to minimise the disruption to local communities”, the Home Office added.
The Bibby Stockholm will be in operation in Portland for at least 18 months and the Home Office is in discussion with other ports with the aim of deploying more vessels.
Shadow Home Secretary Yvette Cooper said: “This announcement is a sign of the Conservatives’ total failure to clear the asylum backlog, tackle the criminal smuggling gangs or get any kind of grip on the system.
“This barge is in addition to hotels, not instead of them and is still more than twice as expensive as normal asylum accommodation. It will house just 0.3% of the current Tory backlog which has sky-rocketed and is continuing to grow under the Conservatives.
“Until the Government takes serious action to clear the backlog, this problem is going to keep getting worse with more people in costly accommodation, not less. Their new legislation only makes the problem worse.”
The Refugee Council said the barge will be “completely inadequate” to house “vulnerable people who have come to our country in search of safety having fled beatings and death threats in countries such as Afghanistan and Iran”.
Chief executive Enver Solomon said: “A floating barge does not provide what they need nor the respect, dignity and support they deserve.
“There would be no need to use barges and former military bases if cases were dealt with in a timely and efficient manner.”
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has defended the use of the barge, insisting it would save taxpayers’ money.
On a local election campaign trip to Peterborough he said: “I think everybody knows one of my five priorities is to stop the boats, and as part of that, we’ve got to reduce the pressure on hotels in communities up and down the country.
“We are spending, as a country, £6 million a day housing illegal asylum seekers in hotels – that can’t be right.
“I’ve committed to reducing that number, moving asylum seekers out of hotels and that means we need to find alternative sites, including barges like the one we’ve brought forward today.
“That’s going to save the taxpayer money, reduce pressure on hotels and it’s part of our broader plan to stop the boats.”
Tory-run Dorset Council opposed the move and said it had “serious reservations” about Portland Port’s suitability as a location for the barge.
