An Armed Forces of Malta patrol boat was present near the distressed Russian LNG tanker on Tuesday evening, Opposition national security spokesperson Darren Carabott said, citing information provided by the government during a meeting held that day.

The briefing took place between Carabott, Opposition leader Alex Borg, Prime Minister Robert Abela and National Security Minister Byron Camilleri. According to Carabott, the minister confirmed that an AFM vessel was on site and showed photographs of the incident.

In a video message published on Facebook on Wednesday, Carabott urged the authorities to present a clear and comprehensive timeline of events related to the tanker explosion, as well as a full account of Malta's involvement. He stressed that the incident should not be politicised.

Carabott said that at around 6pm on Tuesday, while Parliament was in session, he received information about an explosion aboard the Russian LNG tanker. He indicated to Camilleri that he wished to discuss the matter. A brief meeting followed, attended by the prime minister and the Opposition leader.

During that meeting, Camilleri said that an AFM vessel was already in the vicinity of the tanker. Carabott added that the minister informed them that the explosion had occurred while the tanker was in Libya's search and rescue (SAR) region, but that by Tuesday evening the vessel had drifted into Malta's SAR area.

The Opposition's comments came after Alex Borg faced criticism from government representatives for stating on Facebook that the explosion had taken place within Malta's SAR zone, a claim that was described as alarmist.

An official statement issued later by the Armed Forces of Malta said that the explosion occurred outside Malta's SAR area. However, the statement did not address whether the tanker subsequently drifted into Malta's area of responsibility.

Carabott said that while it was positive that the government had provided information following the Opposition's queries, further clarification was necessary. He raised a number of questions, including the exact time the explosion occurred and when the AFM was first informed.

He also asked at what time the AFM patrol boat reached the tanker and why details of the incident were not made public sooner, reiterating the need for a clear sequence of events.