Five days after receiving his sourdough, it was controversial Stockholm Bibby boat -big ferry Where great Britain plan to host 500 asylum seekers– must evacuated after discovering the presence of harmful bacteria.

The UK Home Office reported on Friday that “environmental samples from the water system at Bibby Stockholm show levels legionella bacteria which requires further investigation.

A spokesman for the portfolio indicated that “as a precaution, the 39 asylum seekers who arrived on board this week were taken off while further evaluation is carried out.”

They also show that “No one on the plane showed symptoms legionellosis”, the 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’ diseaseA life-threatening lung infection.

The disease, which does not spread from person to person, got its name from a group of veterans called the “American Legion” who attended a convention at a hotel in Philadelphia, in the 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

On Monday, July 7, the first group of asylum seekers stationed there boarded the ship, which docked at the port of Portland, in Dorset, in the south of England.

The British government says that Bibby Stockholm will accommodate approx 500 men aged between 18 and 65 years while they wait for their asylum applications to be finalized.

British Prime Minister, Rishi Sunak, decided to activate the function of this large ferry as part of his plan reduce hosting costs intended 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 requests per year, according to refugee aid charities. Refugee Council.

An Afghan man who was among the first 15 people to board the ship on the first day told the BBC he “felt like he was entering the world”. 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 so bad“, he claims.

According to the authorities, the men had buses 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 on board and the men will receive medical care on board or remotely, they said.

How’s the boat?

BBC reporters who took a guided tour of Bibby Stockholm before the sourdough arrived said that inside it looked like “an old motel”.

“A long and confusing corridor leads to relatively spacious cabin including desks, dressers, safes, televisions and large windows,” explained 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, a TV room with a giant screen and sofas, a multi-denominational prayer room, and classrooms that can be used for meetings and activities, as well as an outdoor recreation room in two courtyards in the center of the building. boat.

Although the ferry has 222 cabins, capacity increased to 506 put bunk beds 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 felt the standards were better than some of the hotels currently hosting asylum seekers in the UK.