One person suffered a severe head wound during the crash, which occurred during morning rush hour.
Scores of people who had been standing and waiting to disembark were hurled into walls by the impact, which came after the catamaran Seastreak Wall Street slowed following a routine trip across New York Bay and past the Statue of Liberty, passengers said.
The crash ripped open a small part of the hull. Approximately 70 people suffered minor injuries, and paramedics treated bruised and dazed passengers for nearly two hours.
The cause of the accident was under investigation. The ferry, which was built in 2003, had recently undergone a major overhaul that gave it new engines and propulsion system. Officials said it was too soon to tell whether these new factors played a part in the crash.
The ferry company, Seastreak LLC, issued a statement saying it would work with investigators to determine the cause of the accident.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
