The growth of shipping intensity and the increase in the size and speed of ships lead to increased maritime traffic density and require stricter operational safety requirements. The article discusses the problem of the decreasing reliability of marine navigation systems caused by the constant complexity of their technical infrastructure. Despite the high reliability of individual components, the overall complexity of the systems leads to an increased risk of failure, especially under specific operating conditions. Given the remoteness of ships from repair bases, failure of critical equipment can lead to emergencies with severe consequences. The study focuses on improving technical means’ reliability by introducing structural redundancy (duplication) and applying comprehensive evaluation approaches,including a priori, a posteriori, and hybrid methods. Mathematical models of degradation processes are presented, based on which probabilistic-physical models for estimating the time to failure are built. The article aims to form a systematic approach to ensuring the continuous operability of marine navigation systems at all life cycle stages, which is critical for improving the reliability of maritime transportation and reducing the risk of accidents.