This article analyzes the areas of localization of wear of the outer plating of the hulls of ships of inland and mixed (river-sea) navigation and the causes of them. It is noted that the problem of wear of outer plating sheets is associated with the tasks of ensuring watertightness and strength of ship hulls, on which the preservation of the functionality of ships as floating transport engineering structures depends. The results of the study show that: 1) wear of the outer skin of the vessels of inland and mixed (river-sea) navigation of the studied groups (pusher tugs, oil ore carriers, dry cargo and passenger ships) have different localization; 2) the localization of wear depends on the area of ​​operation, the main dimensions and design features of the ships; 3) wear is caused by corrosive, erosive and abrasive effects of the external environment, structural changes in the metal in welds and near-weld zones, as well as poor quality of paint and varnish protection of ship hulls, insufficient vibration damping of ship mechanisms, in some cases, unsatisfactory alignment of ship mechanisms and shafting; 4) local residual deformations (dents, crooks, ribbing), the frequency of their formation, the appearance and development of cracks in welds and the whole metal are due to the loss of stability of bonds due to their wear; 5) there is a correlation between the wear values and residual deformations of the outer skin sheets. Establishing the type of correlation dependence requires special study.