Today's Washington Post is running an article under the headline:
noting
The Post analysis found that 424 cargo ships longer than 600 feet reported losing propulsion — meaning the engines were shut down — in U.S. waters over the past three years. About a quarter of the incidents occurred near a port, bridge or other infrastructure, the analysis found.
and
Coast Guard investigators found many causes for propulsion loss, the records show. In some instances, a total loss of electrical power led to an engine shutdown; in others, the electrical system stayed online, but propulsion was lost because of mechanical and equipment failures. Valves malfunctioned, seals failed, and filters were clogged.
In some cases, poor maintenance or deterioration were blamed for faulty equipment. In others, human error was blamed, including one case in which a ship got underway while an engineer was still doing work on the fuel system. In dozens of instances, investigators reported that tugboats had assisted ships to safety after they lost propulsion.
It's a shame that we need a high visibility incident to trigger such investigative reporting.
Perhaps AI Flag-and-Tag software could be of service.