The Department of Transportation says a Staten Island Ferry boat involved with a fatal 2003 crash had a mechanical problem and crashed into a dock at the St. George Ferry Terminal Saturday morning, and fire officials say at least 35 people were injured.

The throttle on the Andrew J. Barberi ferry failed, so the boat did not slow down as it hit the Staten Island dock at a speed of five knots about 9:25 a.m., according to DOT Commissioner Janette Sadik-Khan.

Of the 252 passengers and 18 crew members aboard the boat, 33 people were transported to area hospitals, and only one was critically injured and experienced chest pains, according to Sadik-Khan.

The commissioner called the incident a “hard landing” and said most injuries were only minor cuts and bruises. Fire officials said no injuries were life-threatening.

The boat’s hull was also breached in two parts above the water line, so it did not take on water. It was initially wedged into the dock but by mid-afternoon it was finally tugged away from the site of impact.

Sadik-Khan said that the ferry’s crew was highly trained and the captain was new to the ferry but “experienced.” She said the ferry was at a normal speed and sounded several warning sirens.

“It appears to be a mechanical problem, there was not an ability to pull back the throttle as it approached the dock,” said Sadik-Khan.

DOT officials said the boat never lost power.

Emergency medical technicians arrived five minutes later, laid some of the injured out on stretchers and wheelchairs and gave some passengers oxygen.

Local doctors were glad most injuries were minor but they recalled the fatalities and major injuries resulting from the 2003 crash.

Governor David Paterson said the prior crash and recent security scares in Times Square have set city residents on edge.

“Probably the alert that the passengers got seconds before impact may have avoided real injury or something far more serious. So it’s kind of another scare like we’ve been going through a lot in New York City, and we are blessed because we are not bemoaning the situation, but we’ll take every step to make sure it doesn’t happen again,” said Paterson, who urged New Yorkers to resume taking the ferry.

DOT officials said the current incident is unrelated to the Andrew J. Barberi’s prior crash on October 15, 2003, which killed 11 people and injured more than 50 others.

In the 2003 incident, the ferry’s pilot, Richard Smith, lost consciousness while at the ship’s controls. Smith pleaded guilty to manslaughter and was sentenced to 18 months in prison.

As of late Saturday, the U.S. Coast Guard and DOT were still in the early stages of investigating today’s crash. Authorities will look at surveillance video from the ferry and the terminal to help their investigation.

Normal ferry service has now resumed.

(Read More: NY1)