Christmas Island locals are bracing for another 400 asylum seekers to arrive on the island by the end of the week, following the arrival of almost 300 people already this week.
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The Immigration Department has confirmed that 2107 asylum seekers were being detained in the island's detention centres at the close of business on Tuesday - 29 more people than the official capacity of 2078 people. A department spokeswoman denied the centre was over capacity, though, saying it could easily be extended.
The Ocean Protector remained moored off Christmas Island on Wednesday after helping to transfer two more boatloads of asylum seekers - this time carrying 105 and 83 passengers - to shore on Tuesday, after the tragic sinking of a boat off the coast on Monday, which claimed two lives.
Another boat was being monitored off the coast on Wednesday afternoon, local time, after it appeared to be approaching Christmas Island and then changed course. Locals believe at least two more are already on their way.
As the number of asylum seekers on the island increases, so too do the pressures on the island's resources. Locals say housing is put under particular pressure as the number of asylum seekers rise, with the Department of Immigration placing hundreds of ''fly-in, fly-out'' staff in units, bedsits and hotel rooms and forcing up the cost of rent.
The arrival of freight planes carrying goods every week helps - so far this year no shops have run out of milk - but some goods are still notoriously expensive, particularly fresh produce. Iceberg lettuces can sell for $15-$24 a head.
Gordon Thomson, the general secretary of the Union of Christmas Island Workers, represents all workers on the island except for the Australian Federal Police. He told Fairfax Media that the union was particularly concerned about the cost of housing workers. ''The union is saying, 'Well, let's build houses for our own people','' he said. ''The private sector's not building, the government's not building, so let's build our own collective housing.''
Mr Thomson said opinions of asylum seekers on the island were mixed - some were hostile, , others were sympathetic to their plight.
On Monday Mr Thomson wrote an open letter to the asylum seekers on board SIEV [Suspected Illegal Entry Vessel] 624, which capsized, throwing 96 people into the water and killing two people.
Mr Thomson, who is also a Shire of Christmas Island councillor, wrote: ''On behalf of the Shire Council, I express our sadness at the loss of those people who drowned this morning when your boat capsized. Many people on Christmas Island are distressed by this accident … [but] our feelings of distress are relieved by the knowledge that all of you who survived the capsize are able to be with us here on Christmas Island, your journey's end.''
It may not be the end of the journey for many. A charter plane carrying 20 single adult men arrived at the Nauru detention centre about 8am Nauru time on Wednesday, from Christmas Island.
By Wednesday morning, Christmas Island time, 3111 people had landed in Australian territories, compared with 1302 people by April 1 last year. This is despite the fact the monsoon season is not yet officially over, and will not fully pass for another month.
Dozens of immigration officials flew to Christmas Island on Tuesday, preparing to start initial interviews of the asylum seekers on the island.
