Large Barge For Migrant Accommodation To Arrive In UK's Port Of Falmouth - Reports

Faizan Hashmi Published May 09, 2023 | 05:50 PM

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 09th May, 2023) A large three-story barge Bibby Stockholm will arrive in the UK's southwestern port town of Falmouth to house about 500 single male migrants in Portland Harbour in Dorset country as early as this summer, media reported on Tuesday.

The vessel will stop in Falmouth to undergo inspection and refitting and is set to be ready by the summer, the Sky news broadcaster reported. The barge is expected to be operational for at least 18 months, according to the report.

The report said that the accommodation would be basic, including healthcare, catering facilities, twenty-four-hour security service, which would cost the government about 20,000 Pounds sterling a day ($25,185).

The UK Home Office did not reveal the cost of the lease agreement, but said that this type of migrant accommodation was "significantly cheaper than hotels," the report added.

Illegal migration has been a pressing issue for the UK for years and only intensified after the country left the European Union in 2020.

In April 2022, the UK and Rwanda signed a migration agreement, stipulating that people recognized by the UK government as illegal migrants or asylum seekers will be deported to Rwanda for the processing of their documents, obtaining asylum, and relocation.

In March, UK Home Secretary Suella Braverman presented a bill that seeks to relocate migrants who came to the UK illegally by boats across the English Channel to a "safe third country" like Rwanda. Asylum in the UK will only be granted in exceptional cases and within a yearly quota. Later in the month, the UK and Rwanda signed an updated version of the migration agreement, preparing for the implementation of Braverman's plan.

The idea has faced serious criticism from both the UK opposition and various human rights organizations, with many people arguing that forced relocation will not be effective in preventing illegal migration to the UK and others saying the bill violates human rights.