The Maltese government has disputed claims that it did not offer assistance to the Conscience, insisting that a tugboat with firefighting equipment was on site within minutes.

In a statement on Friday morning, the government released a timeline of events, including a photo of the tugboat spraying water onto the humanitarian ship.

The Conscience, which has remained anchored just outside territorial waters, is being monitored by the authorities.

The timeline provided by the government being reproduced below contradicts the claim that the humanitarian vessel received no assistance:

00:20am (local time): Malta Vessel Traffic Services (VTS) received a Mayday call from the passenger vessel Conscience, reporting a fire on the bow while outside territorial waters. The vessel had 12 crew members on board and 4 civilian passengers; no casualties were reported. The crew confirmed the fire was not under control and requested immediate assistance.

00:21am: A nearby tug located approximately one nautical mile away contacted Malta VTS, confirmed it was equipped with firefighting capabilities and offered immediate support. The tug arrived on scene and began firefighting operations.

1:28am: The fire was reported under control. An Armed Forces of Malta patrol vessel was also dispatched to provide further assistance.

2:13am: All crew were confirmed safe but refused to board the tug. Assistance was provided to support interior firefighting efforts.

3:45am: The vessel and its crew were secure.