Five days after receiving his sourdoughthe controversial Bibby Stockholm – a large ferry on which the UK plans to accommodate 500 asylum seekers– It must be evacuated when the presence of harmful bacteria is found.

The British Home Office reported this Friday that “environmental samples from the incoming water system Bibby Stockholm demonstrated levels of legionella bacteria that warrant further investigation.”

A spokesperson for the ministry pointed out that “as a precautionary measure, the 39 asylum seekers who arrived on board this week were taken off while further evaluations are carried out.”

They also show that “none of the passengers showed any symptoms of legionellosis”, a disease caused by the bacterium, also known as Legionnaires’ disease.

“Asylum seekers receive appropriate advice and support,” they said, adding that “the health and well-being of those on board is our top priority.”

What are legionella?

These are bacteria that can thrive in moist environments, especially where there is organic matter and high temperatures.

By inhaling small droplets of water or vapor contaminated with bacteria, a person can contract legionellosis or Legionnaires’ disease, a life-threatening lung infection.

This disease, which does not spread from person to person, gets its name from a group of veterans who were called up “American Legion” who attended a service at a hotel in Philadelphia, United States, where the first case was identified, in 1976.

Since then there have been frequent outbreaks, often linked to old hotel air-conditioning systems.

The controversial barge

Last Monday, July 7, he boarded a ship anchored in the port of Portland, in Dorset, in the south of England, the first group of asylum seekers stationed there.

The British government said Bibby Stockholm would take in around 500 men aged between 18 and 65 while they waited for their asylum claims.

British Prime Minister, Rishi Sunak, decided to adapt the function of this large ferry as part of his plan to reduce accommodation costs for asylum seekers.

As he points out, the state is currently spending over US$7 million per day hosting more than 50,000 immigrants in hotels.

The number of asylum seekers in the UK increased by 33% between March 2022 and March 2023, with more than 75,000 claims per year, according to the Refugee Agency’s Refugee Agency.

An Afghan man who was among the first 15 people on board the first day told the BBC he had done so “The feeling of entering the Alcatraz prison.”

“My roommate had a panic attack in the middle of the night and felt like she was choking. Some of us were given strong medication for depression by doctors here,” he said.

The man – who the BBC preferred to remain anonymous – said he was given a small room and the dining room could accommodate less than 150 people.

“Like a prison, [la barcaza] it has entrances and exits, and within a certain hour we have to get on a bus which, after a long journey, leaves us where we can go. We feel very bad,” he said.

According to the authorities, the men had a bus available for them to take them to Portland or Weymouth between 09:00 and 23:00.. If they are not back on board by then, a “welfare call” will be made to verify they are OK.

Bibby Stockholm will have 24-hour security onboard and people will receive medical care on board or remotely, they said.

How’s the boat?

BBC reporters who toured Bibby Stockholm before the first occupants arrived said it looked like an “old motel” inside.

“A long, confusing hallway leads to a relatively spacious cabin that includes a desk, wardrobe, safe, television and large windows,” explain Dan Johnson and Michael Sheils McNamee.

“Each room has a private bathroom with shower and there are additional facilities on each of the three floors,” they explain.

Common spaces include a gym, TV room with giant screen and sofasa multi-denominational worship space and classrooms that can be used for meetings and activities, as well as an outdoor recreation space on the two courtyards in the center of the barge.

Although the ferry has 222 cabins, its capacity was increased to 506 by placing berths in each room. Some common areas were also converted into additional dormitories for four or six men, but journalists were not allowed inside.

The use of these barges to house asylum seekers has been criticized by those who consider them the equivalent of a prison.

However, some of the journalists who took the tour thought the standard was better than some of the hotels currently hosting asylum seekers in the UK.

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