"Today (Wednesday 5 April), the Home Office has announced that an accommodation barge in Portland Port, Dorset will be used to reduce the unsustainable pressure on the UK’s asylum system and cut the cost to the taxpayer caused by the significant increase in Channel crossings."
The Home Office added that hotel accommodation for asylum seekers costs some 6 million pounds ($7.5 million) a day.
"This is part of the wider efforts to secure alternative, more appropriate accommodation than expensive hotels," the authority said, adding that "the barge, called the Bibby Stockholm, will be berthed in Portland Port and will accommodate about 500 single adult males whilst their asylum claims are processed. It will provide basic and functional accommodation."
The office noted that "the government recognises that using alternative sites and vessels involves difficult decisions, but urgent action is needed to reduce expensive hotel use, with the sites providing much needed accommodation."
Migrants are expected to be moved onto the barge in the coming months, the Home Office said, adding that it was considering the use of other ports and vessels for accommodation as well.