Vice Admiral Weerud Muangchin, Director of the Thai Maritime Enforcement Command Centre Region 3 (Thai MECC 3), ordered patrol vessel T.272 to respond after the incident was reported early yesterday evening. The tourists had already made it onto Koh Mai Thon and were awaiting assistance.
T.272 departed at 7:50pm to assess the situation and prepare a rescue plan. However, strong winds and heavy waves around the island made approaching the scene unsafe.
The operation was temporarily scaled back so the crew could coordinate with Phuket Marine Police for additional support, including soft-bottomed rubber boats and mooring equipment from patrol vessel T.114.
With the reinforced team in place, rescuers were able to reach the stranded tourists, bringing all four safely back to port at 12:10am today (Nov 7).
Thai MECC 3 confirmed it is continuing to monitor sea conditions and remains on standby to provide further assistance where necessary.
For maritime emergencies, the centre can be reached 24 hours a day on 1465.