The 19 887 tonne deadweight (DWT), 145.39-metre-long oil/chemical tanker, Chem Venus, collided with three moored sailboats on Wednesday as she departed from Portsmouth, New Hampshire, on a voyage to Teesport, England, the US Coast Guard reported.
She was built in 2004 and is flagged in Panama.
The anchored sailboats were unmanned at the time and were damaged but remained afloat. No injuries or pollution have been reported.
The cause of the collision is under investigation.