UK begins housing asylum seekers on ship 'Bibby Stockholm' in Portland

AI claims the ship resembles prisons on Victorian-era ships

The UK authorities have begun this Monday to accommodate asylum seekers on the ship 'Bibby Stockholm' as part of a migrant transfer plan promoted by the Government of Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, to tackle the migration crisis.

Around 50 asylum seekers have been transferred by bus to the port of Portland and have been received by numerous protesters with banners protesting the treatment of migrants in the United Kingdom, after which they have boarded the ship.

The non-governmental organization Care4Calais to support refugees has assured this Monday that it has prevented about 20 people from being transferred to the ship, with a capacity for 500 people, according to the British chain Sky News.

For his part, the director of migrant rights at Amnesty International UK, Steve Valdez-Symonds, has ruled in a statement that "it is completely inappropriate for the Government to continue perpetuating its terrible treatment" of migrants as if they were "objects load".

"Reminiscent of Victorian-era prison cabins, the 'Bibby Stockholm' ship is a completely disgraceful way of housing people who have fled terror, conflict and persecution," he argued.

UK Home Office Secretary to Parliament, Sarah Dines, had previously confirmed on British broadcaster LBC's Today program that the move was "imminent", although she had not given a specific date.

In this sense, Dines that the ship is "a strong message" that there will be "adequate accommodation", although they will no longer be luxury hotels, since gangs and criminal organizations use these accommodations to persuade migrants.

The vessel will be operational for at least 18 months. According to the British Government, it will provide "basic accommodation" to "single adult men while their asylum applications are processed" and will have medical care, catering, as well as security 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

When presenting the measure, the Government assured in April that it spends six million pounds sterling a day (6.8 million euros) to pay for the reception of asylum seekers in hotels. This initiative to transfer asylum seekers to ships docked in ports is part of the new migration law approved in the country last July.

The legislation, a cornerstone of Prime Minister Rishi Sunak's policy, seeks to stop the arrival of migrants by boat across the English Channel and has met with widespread criticism from lawyers and human rights groups.

Specifically, it allows expulsions to be carried out before resolving an asylum request or deporting migrants to third countries, such as Rwanda. The UK authorities have estimated this Monday at more than 15,000 migrants who have crossed the English Channel since the beginning of the year.