The barge pulled out of Portland on January 31 (Image: Getty)
The last asylum seekers living on the barge, moored off Portland in , disembarked in December and the controversial vessel has now been moved out of UK waters.
Hundreds were moved from the boat to alternative accommodation in Cardiff, Wolverhampton and Bristol, according to the , and the barge itself departed from Portland Harbour on January 31 after the government a Home Office contract.
The Bibby Stockholm was capable of housing up to 500 people and was billed as a cost-effective solution to the migrant housing problem by the after its commission in April 2023.
However, it faced numerous challenges, including campaigns from Portland residents and the discovery of dangerous bacteria onboard, which led to a complete evacuation in the summer of 2023, just days after the arrival of the first few asylum seekers.
It also came under scrutiny when Albanian asylum seeker Leonard Farruku .
:
Photos show the barge pulling out of the seaside town harbour where it stoked ‘division’ (Image: Getty)
Dorset locals have responded with relief to the boat’s departure, with Dorset Council leader Nick Ireland saying: “I don’t think anybody in the Weymouth and Portland area wanted it here.”
While some residents took the initiative to provide activities and resources for the barge residents, the council leader told the its docking had exposed “divisions” in the community and “attracted some undesirables to the area”.
Portland-based photographer Geoff Moore also told the broadcaster: “People are really pleased that it’s actually gone.
“It’s been a negative for Portland and the area around here.”
Dorser resident Sally Lesley that the government shouldn’t have struck the agreement with Bibby Stockholm in the first place.
Don’t miss… [REPORT] [REPORT]
“It’s not that we are particularly against immigrants in Portland,” she said. “It’s just the wrong environment and the wrong place and it doesn’t do them any favours.”
Local protests facility warned that the town’s resources couldn’t stretch to cover hundreds of new people and some also cautioned that living conditions on the boat might be dangerous.
reporter Sophie Cridland said she had sensed “relief” from residents as the vessel drew away.
Many people were “glad to see the back of the barge and the trouble it’s caused,” she added.
After taking office, Labour said the continued use of the Bibby Stockholm would have cost an excess of £20million in 2025 and said its scrapping would contribute towards an anticipated £7.7billion of savings in asylum costs over the next decade.