The British government says it has leased a refurbished barge to house 500 migrants on its southern coast, as it faces criticism over its plans to bar asylum seekers arriving in small boats from across the English Channel.
U.K. officials escort a group of migrants, who had tried to cross the English Channel, on the shore at Dungeness on the southeast coast of England, on Dec. 9, 2022. More than 45,000 people tried to cross the channel last year, according to government data.
Migrants will be moved aboard "in the coming months" and it will be operational for at least 18 months, the ministry said, adding that it was in discussions with other ports about the use of further vessels. The barge will provide "basic and functional" accommodation with health-care provision and catering facilities as well as onboard security, the government said.
The government, which last week also said it would set up basic migrant accommodation at military bases, says hotel accommodation for asylum seekers costs the equivalent of $10 million a day. It did not provide a cost for the barge. A man jumps into the water after migrants leave a French beach, near Dunkirk, on Oct. 12, 2022, in an attempt to cross the English Channel.The Bibby Stockholm was originally built in the Netherlands in 1976 and converted into a floating hotel in 1992.
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