The number of ships detained over safety issues by the US Coast Guard ticked upward last year, according to the agency's annual port state control report.
Safety-related detentions totaled 105 in 2018, up from 90 in 2017 and 98 in 2016, but down from a 10-year high of 201 in 2015. The bump comes even as the number of examinations dipped to just above 9,000.
Eleven of those 105 are in merit appeals, the Coast Guard said.
According to the report, released Tuesday, 22% were for issues with fire protection equipment, 21% were for unspecified "other" issues and 16% were for issues with certificates and logbooks.
Liberia and Panama had the most detentions among flag states, with 14 each, followed by Malta with 12 and the Marshall Islands with 10.
Bulkers were the most commonly detained vessel type, with 35 detentions last year.
