The first group of asylum seekers were brought by coach to re-board the Bibby Stockholm barge on Thursday (October 19). It is believed that all but 10 of the 39 men who originally boarded the barge in August moved back on Thursday.

Previously, the men had stayed on the barge for just five days in August, before having to be evacuated after traces of the Legionella bacteria, which can cause serious illness and even death in people with weakened immune systems, was discovered in the barge’s water system, necessitating immediate evacuation.

Also read: UK asylum seekers notified of return to Bibby Stockholm barge

Since then, according to reports on the BBC, the men had been housed in hotels in the nearby county of Devon and were reluctant to rejoin the barge.

Capacity 504, current occupancy 29

The Bibby Stockholm barge is moored in Portland harbor in Dorset, on the south coast of England. Although it can house up to 504 people, it has been the subject of intense discussion and protest ever since the British government first proposed using it as mass accommodation for asylum seekers.

In fact, after weeks of safety tests, arguments and delays in August, just 39 asylum seekers were moved on to the giant barge. Now, according to reports by the news agency AP, just 29 have moved back.

Also read: First asylum seekers move on to divisive barge

Candy Udwin, a member of Stand Up to Racism, one of the groups protesting against the use of the barge to house asylum seekers, told AP: "They [the residents] hate it. They say it feels like a prison, some hate being on the sea, they find it very difficult to leave and they are completely separated from the community."

Cutting costs

The British government however, believes that the barge, along with other mass accommodation solutions, are the way to reduce the costs of hotel accommodation. Recently, the government claimed it was spending more than £8 million per day (about €9.2 million) on hotel accommodation. It says it could house migrants and asylum seekers much more cheaply in the double rooms on board the barge, and in former military barracks and air fields around the country.

However, most of their new accommodation proposals have not yet been opened up to housing their full capacity. Either the buildings need to undergo extensive rennovation and safety checks before they are ready to house people, or they have been met with heavy opposition in the local community, both from those who oppose housing asylum seekers in "prison-like" camps, and by those who wish to avoid large groups of mostly young single men being placed in their often rural areas.

Also read: Backlog of asylum applications in UK reaches record high

On Thursday, the group of about 29 asylum seekers who did eventually board the Bibby Stockholm reportedly arrived later than planned after the coach they were on was blocked by Just Stop Oil protesters. The protesters, reported AP, wanted to underline that the climate crisis would inevitably lead to more migration around the world.

Numbers on board to increase 'gradually', says government

The UK’s Home Office (Interior Ministry) said that "the number of people on board will increase gradually with more arrivals in the coming days and months, as part of a carefully structured, phased approach."

Until they moved back in the barge had been empty for over 70 days, at a cost, according to reports on the UK newspaper iNews of almost £300,000 (around €350,000) per week.

Many local residents around Portland oppose the barge, including the Mayor of Portland Carralyn Parkes, who is seeking a judicial review about whether the Home Office’s decision to moor the barge in Portland Harbor is legal or not.

Steve Smith, the head of the charity Care4Calais, which works on both sides of the Channel, said in a statement reported by the news agency Reuters: "By using accommodation like barges and barracks, the government is stripping asylum seekers of their liberty."

With AP, Reuters