The latest migrant arrivals clearly showed that although their numbers have fallen when compared to last year, illegal immigration remained a problem, Labour Party spokesman Michael Falzon said.

Other than causing economic and resource problems, there were also political and diplomatic repercussions, he said.

He said it could not be denied that the problem of illegal immigration did not really benefit from the good relations Malta had with Italy "with the latter also taking unacceptable positions, even with regard to our search and rescue area".

"In light of all this, the Labour Party once again insists on the need of this problem being faced with the utmost seriousness and that we move from words to fact in the EU."

On Wednesday, 84 Somali migrants, including four pregnant women and two babies, packed on a grey 10 metre-long dinghy, were rescued after they sent a distress call by satellite phone.

Rocked by force five winds, their dinghy was taking in water fast and they were transferred to a patrol boat and brought ashore.

The arrivals came just two weeks after a group of Eritrean migrants, who claimed to have lost more than 70 of their compatriots at sea, caused a rift between Malta and Italy with the latter claiming our search and rescue area was too big for such a tiny country.