The owner of a commuter ferry that struck a Manhattan dock on Jan. 9, injuring dozens of passengers, has turned to the same maritime law that shielded the owners of the Titanic.

SeaStreak LLC is relying on the Limitation of Liability Act, a federal statute dating to 1851, which protects ship owners from liability for losses incurred without their “privity or knowledge” and limits their exposure to the value of the ship and “pending freight.”