It was smooth sailing yesterday for the jinxed Andrew J. Barberi ferry, which was put back in service for the first time since the May crash that injured 48 people.
The infamous Staten Island Ferry boat was also involved in the 2003 crash, which killed 11.
Most passengers aboard the ship yesterday seemed unfazed by its disastrous past.
“I’m not afraid,” said Brenda Harris, who has traveled on city ferries since 1960. “There’s been three accidents in 100 years. I feel safe.”
But some riders got jittery after learning that the ship they were on was the Barberi.
“I’m not sure I would have gotten on,” admitted Avi Sholbaum, 31. “Maybe I should check the names of these boats. I don’t want to tempt fate.”
Staten Island native Jack Russo, 42, said two accidents in seven years was two too many.
“If I knew, I would have skipped the boat. A 30-minute wait [for another ferry] isn’t so bad, to avoid this old tub,” Russo said.
The Barberi was put back in the rotation at 9:30 a.m., leaving Staten Island and docking perfectly in Manhattan a half-hour later.
The captain and co-captain refused to take a Post reporter’s questions.
The National Transportation Safety Board on Friday found that defective propulsion units were behind the ship’s May 8 crash into the Staten Island terminal. The pilots were not at fault, the board said.