This is the heartwarming moment an endangered baby green sea turtle was rescued after getting stuck in a oil slick that washed up on a beach in southern Thailand.

A tourist spotted the tiny creature covered in black goo on Laypang beach in Phuket, on August 5, around 10 AM, and immediately called local authorities for rescue.

Staff from the Sireetarn Marine Endangered Animals Rescue Centre helped the exhausted turtle, which was just 17cm long, 12cm wide and weighed only 100 grams.

They said it was exhausted from the pollution covering its body and took it to the marine centre to be cleaned up until it recovers.

They named the turtle 'oil baby'.

The rescue came after an oil slick was found on several beaches on the island.

The damage stretched for several kilometers along the coast and is believed to have originated from a tanker that was anchored off the coast of Phuket.

Officials said it has forced the closure of several beaches, including Patong Beach, one of the most popular tourist destinations in the region.

It was expected to take around 3-7 days to wait for laboratory results to verify the type of oil involved in the incident.

The green sea turtle is classed an endangered on the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species.