Though eight crewman of the 27-metre-long Aung Chat Sar – a timber cargo vessel originating in Myanmar and bound for Penang – were initially reported stranded at sea, the Royal Thai Navy has since clarified that there were only seven stranded crewman, who've all been saved.
The RTN reported the location of the rescue to be 150 nautical miles off Phuket, contrasting previous reports that the men were stranded 100 nautical miles from the island.
The rescue operation was led by the HTMS Saiburi, a Type 053 frigate which was deployed yesterday at around noon from the Area 3 Naval Base in Phang Nga.
The frigate reportedly arrived to the area of the stranded crew within an hour; however, strong winds and waves hindered the rescue efforts for several more hours.
The operation was finally confirmed successful by 8pm last night and the RTN vessel with rescued crew anchored safely of the Phuket Deep Sea Port this morning at 10:30am.
Marine emergencies and other coastal threats and concerns can be reported to the RTN Area 3 Command by calling 076 391598, 076393584 or emergency hotline 1696.