Updated: 6.40pm with comments by EP president Roberta Metsola
The Freedom Flotilla Coalition boat which was damaged in a "drone attack" last week has sustained "damages which require minor repairs", according to a survey carried out by a government-appointed surveyor.
The surveyor was allowed on board the stricken FFC vessel Conscience on Monday evening following negotiations between the government and the activists.
The captain had accepted the survey to be carried out outside Maltese territorial waters where the boat has been anchored since the incident in the night between May 1 and 2.
The vessel sustained damage to its front section and a loss of power when it was allegedly hit by two drones, according to the coalition. Hours before the incident, a military aircraft left Israel and circled Malta.
Times of Malta has independently confirmed the movement of the Israeli aircraft and that it spent around three hours in Malta's airspace before returning to Israel.
A statement issued by the Office of the Prime Minister on Tuesday evening said the survey carried out by the maritime surveyor revealed the vessel sustained damages which require minor repairs so that it can sail on to its next destination.
"The government will be carrying out repairs which require immediate attention so that the vessel sails to its next destination," the government spokesperson said, adding these repairs will be carried out at sea, at the current position where the vessel is anchored outside Maltese territorial waters.
The surveyor reported that a number of compartments, including the ship's hull and engine room, were found in "good or satisfactory condition and free from water ingress."
He also said that most of the important equipment on the vessel, such as the two main engines, the two generators, the bow thrust and the fire extinguishers were "operational".
The inspection revealed that the vessel was carrying only food and drink for crew members to last around 30 days. "The captain indicated that a limited part of the food and drink supplies were for humanitarian purposes," the statement added.
The vessel has 32 tonnes of fuel.
The FFC have called for an independent UN forensic survey of the damage and for assessors, arguing that "transparency is vital".
The statement does not give any indication on what could have caused the fire on board the ship.
Two independent military and maritime security sources who spoke to Times of Malta said photographic evidence of the damage on board the Conscience indicates it was "a strategic military attack intended to disable the vessel and not kill those on board. In other words, it’s a warning not to proceed with the voyage.”
The Conscience had been waiting to take on board some 30 peace activists from around the world before trying to sail to Gaza, including renowned activist Greta Thunberg.
In her first comments on the incident, a spokesperson for European Parliament (EP) President Roberta Metsola told Times of Malta shortly before the survey results that the EP was "following the incident closely and notes the declarations from the Maltese authorities and Prime Minister asking for time to establish the facts".
"Parliament hopes that further information and clarifications as to what happened will be made available soon", the spokesperson said.