Dozens of armed officers carry out training exercise at a Dorset port ahead of the arrival of giant migrant barge that will house up to 500 male asylum seekers off the coast

• Marine police were seen running drills in full combat gear at Portland Port today
• The controversial Bibby Stockholm barge is set to arrive in around two weeks 

Armed police in inflatable boats were today seen practising storming a ship in a Dorset harbour that is set to host a barge housing 500 asylum seekers. 

Dozens of marine police were pictured running drills in full combat gear at Portland Port, where the controversial Bibby Stockholm is set to arrive in around two weeks. 

RFA Sir Tristram served as a Royal Fleet Auxiliary ship in the Falklands War but is now permanently based in Portland and used to train Royal Marines. 

During this morning’s exercise, officers in boats marked ‘police’ were seen climbing aboard the 450ft-long ship using rope ladders before sweeping the deck. 

Dorset Police told MailOnline it was not involved in the exercise, but ignored enquiries about which force was involved and the nature of the training. 

Dozens of marine police were pictured running drills in full combat gear at Portland Port this morning 

Officers in combat gear were seen boarding two inflatable boats before racing towards a former Royal Fleet Auxiliary ship

A scene from the dramatic exercise taking place in Portland Port this morning 

As the local police service it would have been informed in advance of any training exercises that were due to take place. 

The Ministry of Defence – which owns the ship – had not responded to a request for comment by the time of publication. 

Portland Port said it did not comment on ‘security matters’. 

This morning, people watched on as police boarded two speed boats and raced out to the RFA Sir Tristram before scaling its hull in what appeared to be a rehearsal for taking a vessel by force.

A witness, who wished to remain anonymous, said: ‘The officers were dressed all in black and they all emerged from an old warehouse that looked like it had been abandoned.

‘They marched to their boats in full gear and then they sped off towards the harbour entrance like they were practicing approaching from that side.

RFA Sir Tristram served as a Royal Fleet Auxiliary ship in the Falklands War but is now permanently based in Portland and used to train Royal Marines

Officers scaled the ship using rope ladders in what appeared to be a rehearsal for taking a ship by force 

Dorset Police told MailOnline it was not involved in the exercise, but ignored enquiries about which force was involved and the nature of the training 

‘I couldn’t see them for a moment and then they zoomed at the ferry at full speed and surrounded it. It looked like they were practicing raiding it.’

It comes as local residents packed out a public meeting in Portland to express their concerns about 500 young male asylum seekers arriving in the area.

Attempting to reassure locals, Home Office official Roy Payne said: ‘Cultural awareness will be important, and we will explain to asylum seekers that a lot of young men in groups can be intimidating.

‘We will teach British social behaviours and cultural norms and they will have to conform to them.

‘We have seen evidence that this worked at the Napier facility in Kent where the asylum seekers do not pose a problem when they do go into town.’

A witness, who wished to remain anonymous, said: ‘The officers were dressed all in black and they all emerged from an old warehouse that looked like it had been abandoned’

The Bibby Stockholm is set to arrive in Portland Port in around two weeks 

The Bibby Stockholm was previously used to house offshore workers

The Bibby Stockholm is expected to be used for 18 months to help the government deal with the huge backlog of asylum claims.

Currently thousands of asylum seekers are being housed in hotels while their applications are processed, costing the taxpayer billions of pounds a year.

The Bibby Stockholm will be checked by inspectors from Portland town council before any migrants are allowed on board.

Superintendent Dean O’Connor, of Dorset police, told the meeting: ‘This is not 500 criminals.

‘If we see a change in crime levels, we will respond to that and deal with it as we always do.

‘Everyone who will be on the barge will have been checked against a crime and immigration database and we will ensure we know who everyone is on that barge.’

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