Asylum seeker barge seen leaving port

The vessel was home to just under 500 male asylum seekers

The asylum seeker barge Bibby Stockholm has been pictured leaving port, 18 months after it arrived.

Images show the vessel being towed away from Portland Port, after the last asylum seekers left the barge in November.

Bibby Stockholm first arrived in Dorset in July 2023, to be used as accommodation for asylum seekers awaiting decisions on their applications.

The departure means the contract between the Home Office and Portland Port has expired and the barge will be returned to its owners, Bibby Marine.

The Bibby Stockholm has been pictured leaving Portland, 18 months after it first arrived

It was announced in July 2024 that the vessel would stop housing asylum seekers from January 2025, as part of government changes to the asylum system.

In October, 300 residents were moved from the barge to places including Cardiff, Wolverhampton, Bristol and Worksop.

When the remaining residents left in November, the vessel underwent a decommissioning process.

The barge housed just under 500 men and during its time on the Dorset coast the Bibby Stockholm loomed large over Portland - prompting multiple protests and campaigns.

Bibby Marine previously said the contract with the management company CTM ended on 3 January.

It is not clear where it will go next and what it will be used for.

It is not yet clear where the barge will go next and what it will be used for