Detentions by US Coast Guard (USCG) port state control nearly halved last year, according to its 2016 annual report.
The USCG conducted 9,390 International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea (Solas)-related inspections resulting in 103 detentions compared with 202 in the previous year.
The three year rolling detention rate also fell marginally from 1.67% to 1.63%.
USCG assistant commandant Rear Admiral Paul F Thomas said the 2016 detention total figure represented “our lowest total in five years”.
