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NEW YORK – The chief engineer aboard the Staten Island ferry that rammed into a pier on Saturday told federal investigators that no engine alarms sounded before the crash, at which point two of the ferry’s four engines failed, officials said on Sunday.
The ill-fated vessel, the Andrew J. Barberi, never lost electrical power during the crash, which injured about three dozen passengers, and its crew reported no problems with the propulsion system, according to an official from the National Transportation Safety Board, which is leading the investigation.
Although city officials have said they believe that a mechanical error was to blame for the failure of the boat’s braking system, the federal investigators said it was too early to pinpoint a cause.
“At this point in the investigation, we’re not ruling anything out; everything is on the table,” Robert L. Sumwalt, a member of the federal safety board, said Sunday at a briefing on Staten Island.
The boat’s captain, Donald Russell, and the rest of its crew members passed a test for the possible influence of alcohol. The results of a drug test were pending, officials said.
On Monday, investigators planned to interview several members of the crew, including the captain and the assistant captain, Maqbool Ahmed, who was at the controls in the pilothouse when the accident occurred.
Ahmed, a six-year veteran, was promoted from deckhand about 18 months ago, said James DeSimone, the chief operations officer of the ferry system.
Ahmed, who was listed in longshoreman’s union records as a resident of Queens, did not respond to telephone messages. Russell, who was promoted to captain in March, could not be reached for comment.
Investigators determined that the two engines closest to the dock stopped functioning at the point of impact. The two other engines continued to operate normally, officials said.
Investigators conducted an underwater examination of the Voith-Schneider propulsion system, a sophisticated propeller mechanism that was not installed on newer ferries bought by the city. The initial inspection indicated no visible damage, Sumwalt said.
Representatives of the company that manufactured the Barberi’s propeller are expected to meet with officials on Monday.
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