The Wire

The government’s latest weapon in its fight for border security is a floating prison armed with machine guns. The ship would cost upwards of ten million dollars a year to lease and even more to deck out with suitable provisions. It will patrol Australia’s northern borders, serving as a repository for illegal fisherman and asylum seekers. Customs minister Chris Ellison says the privately owned ship will have the capacity to hold at least thirty detainees and will address the cost and time ineffective problem of ferrying intercepted ships back to shore individually.