This Australian customs ship moored in Indonesian waters has been home to more than 70 Sri Lankan asylum seekers for almost a month.

Last week 22 Tamil men disembarked. And on Wednesday, the remaining 56 refugees were finally taken off the boat and handed over to Indonesian authorities.

They'll be taken to an immigration facility in Indonesia, but are hoping to end up in Australia.

The asylum seekers only agreed to get off the boat after Canberra assured them that anyone with a genuine refugee claim would be re-housed in Australia within a month.

The refugee saga aboard the Oceanic Viking vessel sparked a stand-off between the Indonesian and Australian governments, with Canberra seeking Jakarta's help in blocking a surge in asylum seekers.

These Sri Lankan women on board a frail boat, moored in the Indonesian port of Merak, are also trying to get to Australia.

The country is experiencing the biggest surge in asylum seekers in seven years, which it says is exacerbated by the end of the civil war in Sri Lanka.

This year alone, 39 boats with almost 2,000 people on board have arrived in Australian waters.