On December 22, the new Ollis Class Staten Island ferry Sandy Ground suffered an engine room fire at the height of rush hour, requiring the evacuation of 866 passengers and 16 crew members aboard. The ferry was anchored as firefighters extinguished the fire. Five passengers were reported to be injured. Fortunately, there were no fatalities.

Now, the Marine Engineers’ Beneficial Association — which represents captains, mates, and engineers on the Staten Island Ferry — has written a letter to the city Department of Transportation, calling for three Ollis-class ferries to be put out of service while the city probes the blaze on the Sandy Ground ferry.

“We are calling for an immediate docking of all Ollis-class vessels.” union treasure Roland Rexha wrote in a letter to NYCDOT.

“Based on the U.S. Coast Guard’s preliminary reports of a fuel leak causing the fire, there are far too many unanswered questions to put those onboard all Ollis-class vessels at any further risk,” Rexha continued. “These vessels are brand new to our harbor and we must insure they are able to provide safe passage to all New Yorkers.”

Staten Island Ferry passengers evacuate Sandy Ground boat

Thanks to Walter Scott for contributing to this post.