A fire has broken out onboard Red Funnel's Red Osprey.
Passengers have been evacuated on to the ship's car deck and told to don their lifejackets as "a precaution", Isle of Wight Radio has been told.
It's understood a fire has broken out in the vessel's galley.
It's said to have happened on the 3pm East Cowes to Southampton sailing.
Photo from Cllr Michael Smith.
Crews from Hampshire and Isle of Wight Fire and Rescue are waiting at the ferry firm's Southampton terminal.
No one is thought to have been hurt in the incident.
Updated
A spokesperson for Red Funnel said:
“This afternoon there was a small, contained galley fire on board the 3pm Red Osprey from Southampton. No passengers were injured, and the vessel has now returned safely to Southampton where our crew is currently assisting passengers with disembarking. Emergency services have been called as a precautionary measure to assess and support the situation. In line with standard operating procedure, our crew deployed our emergency protocols, which included the distribution of life vests and instructions to proceed to muster stations.
“As the safety of our passengers and crew is our first priority, the 4pm sailing from Southampton and 5.30pm from East Cowes will be cancelled whilst we continue to work with emergency services. Due to the ongoing assessment, we anticipate there may be further disruptions to our sailings today and we will continue to update our live service status.
"We encourage customers to find alternative travel where possible. We sincerely apologise for any difficulties this may cause to customer journeys and are working toward resuming our normal timetable as quickly and as safely as possible.”
Updated
Isle of Wight councillor Michael Smith was onboard the vessel with his seven-year-old son.
He was told to to don a life jacket after alarm bells were sounded.
Cllr Michael Smith.
He says both him, and his son, are safe and praised Red Funnel staff for their quick thinking.
Updated
Crews from St Mary’s, Redbridge, Hightown, Eastleigh, Romsey, Cosham and Portchester were called to attend a fire involving a chip pan.
Hampshire and Isle of Wight Fire and Rescue says the call came in at 3.30pm and the ferry was brought in to dock in Southampton immediately.
The on-board auto suppression system had dealt with the fire by the time the ferry had arrived alongside.
Firefighters boarded to escort crew and passengers safely from the ship. They inspected the ship and found no further fire, staying on board to clear smoke.
Stop message was received at 4.11pm.
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