For the first time since it was docked off the port of Portland in July 2023, the Bibby Stockholm prison barge has been towed away. 

This is a symbolic victory and relief for the migration justice movement, as the use of the prison barge as accommodation for men awaiting decisions on their asylum claims has caused much fear, anxiety, and even discrimination. 

It was announced in the summer of 2024 that the contract for using the barge as asylum accommodation would not be renewed upon its expiry in January 2025. It was then emptied of residents before the end of 2024.

However, it is still imperative that similar inhumane forms of asylum accommodation, such as Napier Barracks and RAF Wethersfield, are shut down for good.

The barge itself will be returned to its owners, the Bibby Marine company. 

For approximately 18 months, the Bibby prison barge housed just under 500 men at a time. Its residents were individuals waiting for decisions from the Home Office on their asylum claims. 

Since the announcement of its use in 2023, the barge has been controversial: for the health and safety risks it posed (both as a fire hazard, the close living quarters, and even a Legionella bacteria outbreak via its plumbing), for the local clashes it caused with the far-right, and the serious (even fatal) mental health crises caused to its residents. 

You can read more about the prison barge and its various controversies in our Legal Update blog below.