Staten Island Ferry captains will soon set sail about $1 million richer under a new deal inked with Mayor Eric Adams after working more than a decade without a contract.

The end of the longstanding contract negotiations — which will cost taxpayers $103 million through 2027 — was announced on Labor Day Monday by Adams and Marine Engineers’ Beneficial Association officials.

“I wanted to make sure we did this right, so we celebrate people who keep our city going, keeping our city moving in the right direction,” Adams said at the press conference on the slip of the St. George Ferry Terminal.

“This ferry is so significant to the Staten Island community,” the mayor said, adding the agreement would also allow the city to retain and attract talent.

Under the deal, about 150 ferry workers who run the free, daily ferry service out of Staten Island will receive 13 years of back pay and see an increase of tens of thousands of dollars in their base salaries, according to city and union officials.

For captains, among the highest-earning mariners, salaries will more than double — leading to a roughly million-dollar payout in back pay for the dozen currently on the books. The deal brings their base pay up to $180,000 by the end of the contract in 2027, up from $71,000 on average in 2010.

The other top spot on the crew — chief marine engineer — will be paid just over $180,000, a boost of more than $110,000 from $69,000 compared to the same time.

The top marine engineers will see similar retroactive checks as captains.

Asked about the sizable amount of back pay, Adams said, “They earned it.”

“I don’t know how these guys made it 13 years without an increase in salary,” the mayor said. “We are paying them for the sacrifices. God only knows how much their lives have been on hold.

“College tuition doesn’t wait. Rent doesn’t wait. Mortgage doesn’t wait.”

The rest of the workers — assistant captains, mates and marine engineers — will see an increase between $60,000 and $70,000 in salaries.

City Hall could not immediately provide a total of retroactive pay for the ferry workers.

The workers also conceded to a 40-hour work week, up from 32 hours, to reduce overtime costs, according to city and union officials.

The new contracts, which last expired in 2010, will start in October.

“Throughout the two previous administrations, it often felt like City Hall and the MEBA were sailing on separate courses, however, today, we proudly announced that we finally brought this contract into dock,” said union leader Roland Rexha.

Rexha said members have had to go into debt or dip into their pensions to keep up with rising costs without a raise for so many years.

“This is a relief that they’re going to have to get their lives back in order,” he said.

The lack of a contract has been blamed for ferry service disruptions in recent years due to staffing shortages as workers leave the city for higher-paying private sector gigs.

Last summer, a “significant” amount of the workforce did not show up for work, leading to massive disruptions in New Yorkers’ commutes.

The Staten Island Ferry makes 117 trips per day. It carried 13.6 million riders in 2022.