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A search and rescue operation was in progress on Sunday morning after the collision of a ferry boat with yachts off the Isle of Wight, the second incident of this type in a month.
The incident occurred while the Red Falcon ferry was trying to stop at the entrance to the harbor, according to the Coast Guard, who received a 999 call from a man who reported hearing shouts of help.
The 56 passengers on the ferry, operated by Red Funnel on the Southampton to East Cowes route, were safe and healthy. He remained stranded at the harbor entrance on Sunday morning and tugs were present.
Three lifeboats were put in the water to search for people in the water after the collision reported around 8 o'clock. A coastguard search and rescue helicopter was searching the area but had to turn around due to poor visibility.
A spokesman for the ferry company said, "The 7:00 ferryboat connecting Southampton to East Cowes came into contact with several small yachts as it was entering Cowes Harbor this morning in a thick fog.
"The ship is currently down but it is watertight and none of the 40 passengers on board has been injured."
The company said no one involved in the incident was injured.
"Attempts to bail out the ship are currently underway on a tide. If that fails, another attempt will be made at the next high tide, "he said. "The port of Cowes has now reopened and Red Funnel's Red Jet Southampton-West Cowes service will resume shortly."
The rescue boats Cowes RNLI, Calshot RNLI and the Coast Guard Rescue Teams of Bembridge, Needles and Ventnor participated in the search and rescue operation.
A story from a member of the public suggested that a moored boat had been sunk while the ferry had missed the harbor channel and had failed.
Pictures posted on Twitter seemed to show the mast of a sunken boat coming out of the water with a Red Funnel ferry in the background.
Three boats were cut adrift when another ferry operated by Red Funnel moored in thick fog in Cowes harbor on Sept. 27, the RNLI announced last month.
The ferry involved was the Red Eagle, which connected East Cowes to Southampton.
A catamaran was hit and two yachts were later found drifting outside the port following the incident around 5.30am. Red Funnel said he was pulling the ferry out of the service.
Red Funnel, which presents itself as the "First Ferry Operator for the Isle of Wight," carries 3.4 million passengers each year.
According to its website, its fleet is made up of purpose-built ropax bins and high-speed Red Jet passenger catamarans.
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