Incidents that involved a failed, missing or defective structure, equipment or system are categorised as Technical occurrence types. The most frequently reported category of technical failures in 2019 were power propulsion and steering (26%), followed by navigational monitoring equipment (17.6%). Of the 56 serious incidents in 2019 involving a technical failure, 41 were related to power propulsion and steering (73%).
Figure 24. Number of incidents categorised by technical occurrence type and severity (2019)
Figure 25 presents the top 10 most frequently occurring level 3 equipment and/or system faults that resulted in the above level 2 technical failures for 2019. Under Power propulsion and steering, the following level 3 technical failures include main engine/gearing (406), auxiliary engines/ alternators (130) and steering gear/rudder (70). Equipment related to the navigational monitoring equipment failures were radar (175), voice data recorder (VDR) (85) and electronic chart display and information system (ECDIS) (76).
Figure 25. Top 10 most frequently occurring equipment failures reported (2019)
Figure 26 shows that the number of power propulsion and steering failures are proportionally higher compared to other technical failures for vessels aged 20 years and over.
Figure 26. Proportion of technical incidents related to Power Propulsion and Steering by vessel age (2019)