London: The UK has received a massive offshore barge that will be used to house asylum seekers.

The 222-bedroom Bibby Stockholm ship is currently en route to Falmouth, where it will be renovated and repurposed to house up to 500 male migrants.

The British Home Office said it will be put to use over the next 18 months as part of efforts to enhance the UK's asylum-seeker processing procedures, offering "basic" shelter, food, healthcare, and security at "significantly cheaper" costs than the current hotel system.

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The UK is reportedly spending about £6 million ($7.57 million) per day housing tens of thousands of asylum seekers on the mainland, according to former prime minister Rishi Sunak.

When staffing, facilities, and area rental are factored in, the cost of maintaining and operating the three-storey barge, which will be positioned off Portland Port, will be close to £20,000 per day.

Human rights activists and local Conservative MP Richard Drax, who told Sky News that the "floatel" had been "dumped on our door" without consulting the locals or the council, have both criticised the plans in the UK.

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Drax had previously issued warnings that the barge's location was a "very, very restricted area" and that the "very small" local police force would find it difficult to carry out its duties with the influx of so many newcomers.

He cautioned that the barge's presence might have an impact on the local tourism industry, calling the region a "summer resort dependent almost entirely on visitors and tourists."

The barge's operator, Bibby Marine Ltd., claimed that since it was previously used to house asylum seekers in the Netherlands, who described it as a "oppressive environment," renovations have been made.

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Chief Executive Officer of Portland Port Bill Reeves stated, "We encourage everyone in the community to approach this with an open mind and help us show other areas just how successful this type of initiative can be, both for the migrants and the local community."

Up to this point, the UK has taken in roughly 6,000 people who illegally entered the English Channel in little boats and requested asylum. At least 45,755 travellers from northern France travelled there last year.