Federal marine officials have suspended an investigation into a report of a possible whale strike by the Hawaii Superferry this morning while en route from Oahu to Maui.

A passenger called a federal marine hotline saying there was a possible whale strike at about 8:30 a.m. as the Superferry passed off Penguin Bank, according to an initial report from an official with the Hawaiian Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary.

Superferry representatives said following standard procedures, the vessel turned to avoid a whale, then stopped, but did not strike a whale.

Wendy Goo, spokesperson for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, said this afternoon that a federal marine law enforcement officer happened to be shipping his car on the Superferry and was on the vessel.

She said officer conducted an investigation and interviewed passengers and the captain.

“He concluded that there wasn’t enough evidence to conclusively say there was a ship strike,” Goo said. “We’re not pursuing it further at this time.”