The Bibby Stockholm barge arrives in Falmouth, Cornwall, to undergo inspection. PA
The Bibby Stockholm barge arrives in Falmouth, Cornwall, to undergo inspection. PA
The Bibby Stockholm barge arrives in Falmouth, Cornwall, to undergo inspection. PA
The Bibby Stockholm barge arrives in Falmouth, Cornwall, to undergo inspection. PA

Three-storey migrant barge arrives in Cornwall


Neil Murphy
  • English
  • Arabic

A barge that will house 500 asylum seekers has docked in the south-west of England as part of a widely-criticised new government scheme.

The three-storey Bibby Stockholm arrived on Tuesday in Falmouth, Cornwall, where it will undergo an assessment and refurbishment.

The vessel, which has more than 200 bedrooms, is then expected to be moved into position at the Portland Port in Dorset in the next few weeks.

Reports suggest that the Portland Port has tried to deter anti-migrant demonstrations by not publicising the dates when the ship will be docked there.

The south Dorset harbour usually advertises the arrival and departure dates on its website of the 40 or more cruises set to dock at the port during the year.

The Times reported that the dates were taken down because of concerns that far-right activists could organise anti-migrant protests on days when thousands of tourists are due to arrive on cruise ships.

  • The Bibby Stockholm barge, which is due to accommodate migrants in the UK, arrives in Falmouth, Cornwall. PA
    The Bibby Stockholm barge, which is due to accommodate migrants in the UK, arrives in Falmouth, Cornwall. PA
  • The 93-metre, three-storey accommodation vessel has been brought from Italy. PA
    The 93-metre, three-storey accommodation vessel has been brought from Italy. PA
  • The government wants to use its 222 bedrooms to house about 500 migrants off the coast of Dorset, England. AP
    The government wants to use its 222 bedrooms to house about 500 migrants off the coast of Dorset, England. AP
  • Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said the plans would save money and reduce pressure on hotels. Getty
    Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said the plans would save money and reduce pressure on hotels. Getty
  • Nearly 4,000 people have arrived on the south coast of England this year after crossing the Channel in small boats. PA
    Nearly 4,000 people have arrived on the south coast of England this year after crossing the Channel in small boats. PA
  • Before it can house migrants, the Bibby Stockholm will be inspected and refitted in Falmouth. Getty
    Before it can house migrants, the Bibby Stockholm will be inspected and refitted in Falmouth. Getty

A Portland Port spokesman, when asked about the report, said that all cruise calls were proceeding as normal but "arrivals and departures are subject to change".

The barge was previously described as an “oppressive environment” when the Dutch government used it to house asylum seekers.

Human rights organisations criticised the “cruelty” of “confining” hundreds of vulnerable people on a barge, as they blamed the government for creating a backlog of asylum claims.

The barge is part of a series of schemes from the UK government aimed at moving asylum seekers away from costly hotel accommodation.

The Home Office says asylum seeker hotels cost the British public £6 million a day.

It comes after more small boats carrying migrants across the English Channel arrived at Dover on Monday.

A group of people were pictured on the docks after being rescued by a Border Force vessel.

The Home Office has not yet declared how many arrived on Monday, but Saturday saw 135 people arrive on three detected boats, with a further three carrying 134 across the strait on Sunday.

At least 6,500 migrants have arrived via the unauthorised route this year.

Company info

Company name: Entrupy 

Co-founders: Vidyuth Srinivasan, co-founder/chief executive, Ashlesh Sharma, co-founder/chief technology officer, Lakshmi Subramanian, co-founder/chief scientist

Based: New York, New York

Sector/About: Entrupy is a hardware-enabled SaaS company whose mission is to protect businesses, borders and consumers from transactions involving counterfeit goods.  

Initial investment/Investors: Entrupy secured a $2.6m Series A funding round in 2017. The round was led by Tokyo-based Digital Garage and Daiwa Securities Group's jointly established venture arm, DG Lab Fund I Investment Limited Partnership, along with Zach Coelius. 

Total customers: Entrupy’s customers include hundreds of secondary resellers, marketplaces and other retail organisations around the world. They are also testing with shipping companies as well as customs agencies to stop fake items from reaching the market in the first place. 

IF YOU GO

The flights

FlyDubai flies direct from Dubai to Skopje in five hours from Dh1,314 return including taxes. Hourly buses from Skopje to Ohrid take three hours.

The tours

English-speaking guided tours of Ohrid town and the surrounding area are organised by Cultura 365; these cost €90 (Dh386) for a one-day trip including driver and guide and €100 a day (Dh429) for two people. 

The hotels

Villa St Sofija in the old town of Ohrid, twin room from $54 (Dh198) a night.

St Naum Monastery, on the lake 30km south of Ohrid town, has updated its pilgrims' quarters into a modern 3-star hotel, with rooms overlooking the monastery courtyard and lake. Double room from $60 (Dh 220) a night.

 

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MOUNTAINHEAD REVIEW

Starring: Ramy Youssef, Steve Carell, Jason Schwartzman

Director: Jesse Armstrong

Rating: 3.5/5

 

 

The Bloomberg Billionaire Index in full

1 Jeff Bezos $140 billion
2 Bill Gates $98.3 billion
3 Bernard Arnault $83.1 billion
4 Warren Buffett $83 billion
5 Amancio Ortega $67.9 billion
6 Mark Zuckerberg $67.3 billion
7 Larry Page $56.8 billion
8 Larry Ellison $56.1 billion
9 Sergey Brin $55.2 billion
10 Carlos Slim $55.2 billion

The Birkin bag is made by Hermès. 
It is named after actress and singer Jane Birkin
Noone from Hermès will go on record to say how much a new Birkin costs, how long one would have to wait to get one, and how many bags are actually made each year.

MATCH INFO

Southampton 0
Manchester City 1
(Sterling 16')

Man of the match: Kevin de Bruyne (Manchester City)

UAE squad

Ali Kashief, Salem Rashid, Khalifa Al Hammadi, Khalfan Mubarak, Ali Mabkhout, Omar Abdelrahman, Mohammed Al Attas (Al Jazira), Mohmmed Al Shamsi, Hamdan Al Kamali, Mohammad Barghash, Khalil Al Hammadi (Al Wahda), Khalid Eisa, Mohammed Shakir, Ahmed Barman, Bandar Al Ahbabi (Al Ain), Adel Al Hosani, Al Hassan Saleh, Majid Suroor (Sharjah), Waleed Abbas, Ismail Al Hammadi, Ahmed Khalil (Shabab Al Ahli Dubai) Habib Fardan, Tariq Ahmed, Mohammed Al Akbari (Al Nasr), Ali Saleh, Ali Salmeen (Al Wasl), Hassan Al Mahrami (Baniyas)

Jigra
Director: Vasan Bala
Starring: Alia Bhatt, Vedang Raina, Manoj Pahwa, Harsh Singh
Rated: 3.5/5
Updated: May 09, 2023, 10:07 AM