The arrival of the Bibby Stockholm at Dorset’s Portland Port marks the South West as its most recent global destination. Founded in 1976 in Barbados, the Bibby Stockholm has had a lengthy history with the accommodation of people. From housing the homeless and asylum seekers in Hamburg, Germany, to detaining asylum seekers in Rotterdam, the Netherlands, the Bibby Stockholm continues this trend in Dorset. The barge, capable of housing 506 separate people, is to be used as accommodation for single, male migrants. The Government’s spokesperson stated that they “think it’s right for the public as a whole that we move away from a situation where £6 million a day of taxpayers’ money is going towards housing these individuals in hotels… That’s not a good use of money and obviously that puts unplanned pressure on local areas as well.” (Sky News 2023)
However, the arrival of the barge has stirred a frenzied response from the public. Operating in the backdrop of the government’s Illegal Migration Bill passing its House of Lords reading and set to become law, the Bibby Stockholm has incurred fear-mongering amongst those who claim that the arrival of asylum seekers will “lead to gangs of dangerous men roaming the small island in Dorset, putting residents in danger and sapping resources” (The Guardian 2023). Proliferated within social media platforms, one activist monitoring fear-mongering amongst groups found that “many local people have been radicalised by local racists and national far-right actors. The situation is quite volatile and potentially dangerous.” (The Guardian 2023). On the arrival of the barge, protestors fearful of the arrival of migrants (representing No to the Barge) ‘clashed’ with those protesting the inhumane treatment of migrants, representing Stand Up to Racism. Dorset officials have also expressed their disagreement with the housing of asylum seekers on the Bibby Stockholm. Richard Drax, Conservative Member of Parliament for South Dorset, has raised his own concerns over the impact that the “quasi-prison” accommodation will have on asylum seekers and Dorset’s tourist-dependent local economy (The Independent 2023). Moreover, Portland’s Labour councillor Paul Kimber voiced: “Our objections are that having the barge here it is going to be like a prison for them. We are not against refugees, we welcome them here.” (The Guardian 2023).
Indeeed, The Independent reports that previous use of the Bibby Stockholm in the Netherlands to detain asylum seekers in the 2000s led to reports of sexual assault and abuse within the vessel – with one person reported as having died on the barge (The Independent 2023). Whilst the Bibby Marine official brochure states that there are 222 en-suite rooms available for residents – leading to two people being housed in a single room – Amnesty International’s 2008 report obtained by The Independent found that was not the practice.
In the report, an asylum seeker described the living standards as “four people in a cell” and that “there is only a little daylight in the cells… in the morning the guards would open the cell with their nose covered to protect themselves against the stench… the conditions force you into submission; they kill you psychologically.” Chris Loder, a Conservative Member of Parliament for West Dorset, emphasises this aspect in his opposition to the Bibby Stockholm, calling for the Home Office to reveal if sufficient risk and safety assessments were carried out prior to the arrival of the first migrants to the barge.
These ‘detention-like’ living conditions are further worsened by the ‘well-evidenced’ historical ties that the Bibby Marine’s parent group – Bibby Line Group – has with the Transatlantic Slave Trade. John Bibby, the founder of the Bibby Line Group, has been documented as a co-owner of three slaving ships: the 1805 Harmonie which carried 250 captives form west Central Africa and St Helena, the 1806 Sally which transported 250 captives in Bassa to Barbadoes, and the 1807 Eagle which transported 237 captives from Cameroon to Kingston (Refugee Council 2023). Such claims have been corroborated by the Private Eye, Liverpool’s Calderstones Park and the National Museums Liverpool blog ‘Shenanigans in Shipping’. Whilst the most recent layout of the barge has yet to be released, it is speculated that asylum seekers will have ‘less living space than the average parking space when it reaches full capacity’ (The Independent 2023).
In light of these subpar living conditions that the asylum seekers will have to face, as well as the continuous outrage stoked by far-right interest groups, The Independent reports that there will be a counter-terrorism assessment of the barge and its surrounding area – possibly due to a previous terror attack on a Channel migrant facility in Dover as well as the targeted harassment of hotels that house asylum seekers (The Independent 2023). Despite all of this, migrant rights activists and local residents express that asylum seekers are welcome, with Philip Marfleet of Stand Up to Racism stating that volunteers are offering English lessons, legal sessions and recreational activities like cricket and football sessions (The Guardian 2023). BSWN’s Regional Capacity Building Manager and the former Chief Officer of Dorset Race Equality Council, Nathalie Sherring, said:
“As the former Chief Executive Officer of Dorset REC and now working for the Black South West Network in Bristol, I would urge the residents of Dorset to be as compassionate as possible and to not fall into the trap of fear-mongering and spreading hurtful comments. None of those men have asked to be stuck "in a tin" in Portland. Most of them will already have endured a lot of trauma and are only looking for a safe place to live. But, they are now stuck "like sardines" in the beautiful environment that is Portland. So, please show them how welcoming the residents of Dorset are. If you need any information and or support, please contact Dorset Race Equality Council at enquiries@dorsetrec.org.uk.”
Bibliography
https://www.bibbymarine.com/bibby-stockholm/
https://www.refugeecouncil.org.uk/latest/news/an-open-letter-to-bibby-marine/
https://wheredoyougetideas.wordpress.com/plunder-and-loot/shenanigans-in-shipping/
https://bills.parliament.uk/bills/3429
https://www.nytimes.com/2023/07/18/world/europe/asylum-seekers-uk-barge-bibby-stockholm.html