The Home Office is to move asylum seekers onto the Bibby Stockholm barge, despite concerns about fire safety.
The first group of around 40 people are expected to arrive over the coming days, but ministers claim more than 500 will eventually be housed on the vessel moored in Dorset.
The Independent understands authorities have issued formal warnings about inadequate fire evacuation protocols for the vessel, which contains 222 cabins lining narrow corridors over three decks.
A local councillor, who did not want to be named, said the Home Office’s decision to more than double the Bibby Stockholm’s capacity by cramming bunk beds into every room had increased the risk.
“It’s the getting down off it that’s the issue,” said the councillor, who visited the vessel last week. “Everybody panics when there’s a fire and the corridors are so small.
“Every scenario has been put in place for a fire but you don’t add in the human element of the panic.
“You’re not going to knock on each cabin saying ‘oh there’s a fire on deck 3’, everyone wants to get off as quickly as possible.”
Officials say the Bibby Stockholm has three fire exits, but when The Independent visited with other media on 21 July only two were in operation.
They were both on the same side of the barge, and one was closed off for safety reasons because the gangway was deemed too steep for use.
The quayside adjourning the barge is closed off at one end, with 15ft metal fences and a locked gate separating it from the rest of the port – sparking concerns about potential crushes among people fleeing any danger.
Dorset and Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service said it had advised on a fire risk assessment drawn up by the vessel operators, Landry & Kling, who have been subcontracted by an Australian travel firm as part of a larger £1.6bn Home Office contract.
The authority’s fire safety manager, Graham Kewley, said it did not have the power to approve the Bibby Stockholm for habitation but “will exercise our enforcement powers, either formal or informal, to address any significant areas of non-compliance where necessary”.
He added: “Where any aspect falls within the scope of the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order, we will be undertaking appropriate audits to confirm that adequate general fire precautions are in place.
“We have provided advice and comment in relation to fire safety arrangements to both the Home Office and the vessels operators during our familiarisation and pre-occupation visits.”
The Health and Safety Executive said it had issued separate advice over issues on the quayside surrounding the barge and its concerns had been addressed.
A view of inside one of the bedrooms onboard the Bibby Stockholm accommodation barge at Portland Port in Dorset
“Our inspectors conducted a planned visit of Portland Port last week alongside Dorset Council’s Environmental Health Team,” a spokesperson added.
“We provided advice on construction safety, which has since been acted upon.”
The Independent understands that the issues raised by authorities mainly concern scenarios where the barge is at a higher capacity than it will be when an initial group of asylum seekers arrives this week.
In normal circumstances one can leave the “secure compound” surrounding the vessel without waiting for a shuttle bus to take them to the port exit, which officials say is needed for safety reasons.
The official brochure for the Bibby Stockholm shows 222 single bedrooms, but the Home Office has used bunk beds to push its capacity to 506
