Barclays Share News (BARC)

By Chris Francescani NEW YORK, Jan 10 (Reuters) - Investigators searching for thecause of a ferry accident Wednesday morning near Wall Streetthat injured dozens of people will reportedly look into possiblemechanical failure, which was blamed for one of the boat's pastdocking crashes. The National Transportation Safety Board inspectors were inHighlands, New Jersey, on Thursday where the Seastreak WallStreet was towed to its usual berth following Wednesday'smorning rush-hour crash, said Coast Guard spokeswoman JettaDisco. The high-speed commuter ferry was carrying more than 300passengers from New Jersey when it crashed into a pier during adocking approach injuring 57 people, one critically, authoritiessaid. "It's a pretty good sized hole," Disco said of the gash torninto the 141-foot ferry, which was traveling at between 10 and12 knots, or about 11.5 to 14 miles per hour, when it crashedinto the pier. The five-member, all male crew of the Seastreak will undergodrug tests after having passed breathalyzer tests administeredfollowing the accident, Disco said. The gruesome scene of passengers lying on stretchers at thepier recalled earlier landing crashes involving the StatenIsland Ferry, including one in October 2003, which killed 11people and injured dozens more, and a crash in May 2010 thatinjured about 40 people. The ferry pilot in the 2003 crash and his supervisor wereeach sentenced to more than a year in prison for their roles inthe accident. The pilot, Richard Smith, had passed out at thehelm. He had taken painkillers the night before for a bad back. Among the possible causes under scrutiny in Wednesday'scrash is mechanical failure, after the boat struck a buoy about100 feet from the dock before making the hard landing, accordingto local media reports. Seastreak Wall Street had at least two previous dockingaccidents in 2009 and 2010, including one blamed on mechanicalfailure, according to a Coast Guard website. The accident occurred as commuters lined up to quicklydisembark the craft and head to work. Many were thrown to itsdeck by the impact of the hard landing. The ferry is run by Seastreak, a company owned by the Barkerand Tregurtha families, who also own the Interlake SteamshipCompany, Mormac Marine Group Inc, and Moran Towing Co, thelargest tug and barge operator on the East and Gulf Coasts,according to the company's website.