This is the monstrous barge that will house 500 migrants on the UK coast

A huge barge, three decks high and 90 meters long, reached British shores. It’s the Baby Stockholm., and will accommodate more than 500 asylum seekers; It is the new strategy of the government Rishi Sunak To avoid distributing immigrants to state hotels.

The Baby Stockholm, lacking its own propulsion, was towed from Italy to the port of Falmouth in Cornwall. She will remain there while some renovations are carried out, before being moved to her final destination in Portland, Dorset. According to the newspaper The IndependentAsylum seekers It will be shipped in Julyto allow time to fix the rooms and review security.

Barge will accommodate Male asylum seekers without a familywhile they wait for their applications to be processed. This government decision aims to reduce the costs of hosting migrants arriving across the English Channel. Currently, the English language is spent £6m a day hosting new arrivals in hotels. And in 2022, 45,755 people crossed the channel, compared to 6,000 people who have done so so far this year.

dark past

The boat, which is operated by Bibby Marine from Liverpool, has already been used elsewhere in Europe to house asylum seekers.

It has a gym, communal dining room, bar, and hundreds of rooms with private bathrooms spread over three floors, according to the Home Office. Once re-designed, it will serve as ‘essential and functional accommodation’ and will serve Medical care and catering services, with 24-hour security.

But not all that glitters is gold, because the government is planning It accommodates 506 immigrants in only 222 rooms. Thus, you will force asylum seekers to share small rooms, the living space that each man will have Less than average garage space.

That’s not all: ‘Baby Stockholm’ has a dark past. In 2000, it was used by the Dutch government to house immigrants; during that time, One person on board diedMany suffered ill-treatment. An investigation by a Dutch newspaper revealed that policemen mistreat immigrants who do so Several violations occurredand that fire safety measures were not working. Moreover, in 2008, a man from Algeria He died Within the walls of Baby Stockholm.

local complaints

Portland Mayor, Peter Roper, had expressed concern about the ship’s medical facilities, which were described as “basic”. In an interview with the Today Show, BBC Radio 4And Roper He noted that sanitation services in Portland had really “deteriorated” over the years.

“Information [sobre las instalaciones de la barcaza] Shows that there will be services Basic Health care…but that has no definition. If the guests at “Bibby Stockholm” come up with something serious, they will have to go to Weymouth Hospital or Dorset General Hospital in Dorchester. They are not alone load For the Portland area, but also for South Dorset itself.” Roper.

“Baby Stockholm” is not the only option, since the government Rishi Sunak It will draw on other military bases around the UK: it will transfer 2,000 applicants to RAF Scampton military base in Lincolnshire, 1,700 to a similar base in Wethersfield, Essex, and 1,200 to a former prison in Northey, near Bexel-on The sea in East Sussex.

But the local councils of these places Consider taking legal action To prevent the use of their rules. Meanwhile, a plan to accommodate immigrants on a barge in Dorset Harbor was rejected by the local authority, and by Richard Draxthe deputy governor of the district representative.

In an interview with The IndependentAnd Drax He explained that he was still considering taking legal measures to stop this government idea, which he described as a “false prison”.

He accused ministers and officials in the Interior Ministry of being “unable to answer” certain logistical questions about how the barge would operate. For example, whether asylum seekers will be able to enter and exit the port safely, what activities will be provided for them, and how adequate medical care will be ensured.