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Passengers were safely landed from a ferry on the Isle of Wight, which had stranded earlier after hitting yachts in heavy fog.
A Red Falcon ferry struck 'at least two' small yachts at Cowes Harbor around 8 am. Witnesses said they heard calls for help in the water.
The ferry, operated by the Red Funnel Ferry Company, stopped short of East Cowes after leaving Southampton in bad weather.
A spokesman for Her Majesty's Coast Guard said that at about the same time, a member of the public had called him at 999 to report that he had heard calls for help in the harbor, raising fears that it would have been thrown into the water.
The coastguards have since confirmed that no one was in the water nor has it disappeared.
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They stated that they contacted the person calling for help – who declared himself safe and sound – who was aboard his own ship and was "screaming to try to alert the ferry captain of the ferry. situation".
The Red Falcon was floated with tug assistance shortly before 11am and is safe in East Cowes.
The Maritime and Coastguard Agency's inspectors completed an initial assessment of the vessel, which was allowed to be relocated to Southampton for further inspections.
Fran Collins, managing director of Red Funnel, said the boats involved in the collision were "unmanned and moored yachts" and there were no casualties reported as a result of the incident.
A coastguard search and rescue helicopter was initially deployed in the area, but had to turn around due to the poor visibility caused by thick fog.
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The UK coastguard said the Cowes RNLI, Calshot RNLI and Bembridge, Needles and Ventnor Coast Guard Rescue Teams were involved in this "thorough search".
Ms. Collins said, "On behalf of Red Funnel, I would like to sincerely apologize to all those affected by this incident.
"Our staff contacts passengers to offer alternative routes and details of the service are also available on our website."
She added that Red Funnel gave top priority to the safety of passengers and crew and opened a thorough investigation into this incident.
Earlier, witnesses in Cowes described the "chaos" caused by the accident – which resulted in the cancellation of all ferries to the island for several hours.
It was the day when thousands of runners – many from the Isle of Wight – were hoping to travel to Portsmouth for this year's Great Southern Run.
Jane Hyde told Metro.co.uk: "There is chaos on the Isle of Wight.
"I think all ferries have been canceled with Red Jet and this is now the Great South Run."
Husband Barry Hyde added, "I have never seen so many people here. The red hawk is next to the esplanade. '
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