The three-story vessel will house 500 unaccompanied male asylum seekers in Portland Port off Weymouth.
British waterways off Dorset now host a large asylum seeker barge.
The accommodation barge Bibby Stockholm will halt in Falmouth, Cornwall, where it will be inspected and refitted.
The 222-bedroom, three-story yacht will house 500 single male asylum seekers at Portland Port, off Weymouth, Dorset.
It will be operational for at least 18 months and will be operational this summer.
The Home Office said the “basic” lodgings will include healthcare, cuisine, and 24-hour security for £20,000 per day.
It did not specify the expense of the lease agreement but insisted that it is “considerably less expensive than hotels.”
However, the proposal has been criticized by the Tory-controlled Dorset Council and the local Conservative representative, Richard Drax.
Mr. Drax’s threat of legal action in response to the ‘floatel’ sparked concerns of renewed discord within the Conservative Party.
The South Dorset MP, who has previously supported stringent measures to reduce UK immigration, stated that the barge was “dumped on our door” by the Home Office without consultation and urged Home Secretary Suella Braverman to abandon the plan.
In April, Mr. Drax referred to the Portland Port site as a “very, very restricted area” and expressed concern about the port’s “very small” police force being strained by the presence of hundreds of vulnerable individuals.
Those staying on the barge would be transported by bus from the port to nearby Portland Harbour, a “summer resort almost entirely dependent on visitors and tourists” with busy beaches nearby.
The government is criticised by charities and human rights advocates for providing inadequate housing for combat refugees.
Since it was characterized as an “oppressive environment” for asylum seekers in the Netherlands, the vessel was refurbished last month, according to Bibby Marine Limited, a Liverpool-based operator.
Bill Reeves, the chief executive officer of Portland Port, stated, “We encourage everyone in the community to approach this with an open mind and help us demonstrate to other regions how successful this type of initiative can be for both migrants and the local community.”
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said the barge will save taxpayers £6 million per day by lodging asylum seekers in hotels.
The Times stated that the vessel would cost £15,000 per day to lease and over £4,500 to berth in Portland.
Additional fees would be necessary for services such as security and catering.
However, Labour stated that the barge is an addition to hotel accommodations, not a replacement.
Last year, 45,755 individuals crossed the Channel in small boats, while so far this year, more than 6,000 have arrived.
