Pictures: First look inside Portland asylum seeker barge

As reported, the controversial barge arrived at Portland Port on Tuesday - as groups protested at the port gates.

The Echo was given a tour of the facilities and heard how the facility will operate.

The barge will accommodate more than 500 asylum seekers while their claims are processed - the first vessel of its kind to do so in the UK.

The barge is three storeys high and as long as a football field; it has 222 rooms and will house asylum seekers for the next 18 months.

When the asylum seekers first arrive, they will receive an induction pack before being given a room key and a security card when they board the vessel.

The security card will scan the asylum seekers in and out and will allow staff to know who is on board.

Asylum seekers will have to pass through a security check every time they board the barge (Image: PA)

At the entrance to the barge there is a security checkpoint and a metal detector which will be operational 24/7 and asylum seekers will have to pass this every time they come on board.

An example bedroom on the barge which will house two asylum seekers (Image: PA)

An example bedroom aboard the Bibby stockholm (Image: PA)

The en suite bathroom aboard the Bibby Stockholm (Image: PA)

Ninety per cent of the rooms house two people on a bunk bed, in a tiny room around 10ft long and 6ft wide.

Twenty rooms on the barge will house four people and two of the rooms will house six people.

Each room has a TV which will not be able to be used by its occupants; the TVs are not operational and can only be used if an occupant has a USB device which can connect to it.

Every room is en suite with a bathroom sized around 5 sq ft with a toilet and a walk-in shower.

Extra bathrooms and showers on each floor are also available for the asylum seekers to use.

Food will be served buffet style in an on-board canteen (Image: PA)

The canteen on board seats around 240 people (Image: PA)

Facilities include a gym, film room, online room, multi-faith room, a canteen and a small medical room. There are also two outside areas for sports and picnics.

The canteen can seat around 240 people inside and will serve meals three times a day; a set menu buffet style including meals such as oriental kofta, chicken peanut butter and fried fish.

A film and TV room will allow the asylum seekers to have access to Freeview television and selected films (Image: PA)

The film and TV room can seat around 30 people, with residents able to watch Freeview television from the comfort of a selection of hard leather sofas.

Residents of the barge will be able to access a small gym between the hours of 9.00am and 8.00pm (Image: PA)

A small gym onboard will operate between 9am and 8pm, containing two treadmills, dumbells and a small number of exercise equipment.

A classroom which will be used for optional lessons on English and cultural lessons (Image: PA)

There is also a classroom on board for English lessons for the asylum seekers on board, currently the classroom seats eight people at desks.

A medical room will operate on the barge for five days a week between the hours of 9.00am and 5.00pm (Image: PA)

A medical room aboard the barge will allow the asylum seekers to turn up for an unscheduled appointment and receive medical advice from a GP or nurse aboard the barge.

The GP service will be provided by South Coast Medical, a GP based in Poole which has had experience with the healthcare needs of asylum seekers living in Bournemouth.

The medical room will provide NHS Healthcare between 9am and 5pm five days a week with an advanced nurse practitioner onboard.

The asylum seekers will be able to access a GP service through the nurse, either on board or virtually.

The barge has been fully fitted with security cameras in all communal spaces and along the corridors on each floor, a security room will have access to all of these cameras.

There are two outdoor spaces on the barge, one will be a hard surface for sports games such as basketball, football and volleyball, and the other outdoor space will be used for picnics and outdoor seating, the option of putting astroturf on this surface is currently being considered.

An online room will allow the asylum seekers to access the internet for half an hour at a time via laptops, there are no restrictions on what web pages can be accessed on these laptops.