Maersk faces sexual assault at sea charges

In the US, two lawsuits are being filed in New York state court against Maersk Line, Limited, the Danish carrier’s American subsidiary, with two women cadets claiming they were sexually harassed and assaulted while working at sea for a year as part of their course with the US Merchant Marine Academy (USMMA).

Both sexual assault cases took place onboardthe Alliance Fairfax

Both sexual assault cases took place onboard the Alliance Fairfax, an American-flagged car carrier, in which terrible reports of rape and alcohol abuse have been detailed, initially by one of the plaintiffs who went by the moniker Midshipman-X before revealing her identity yesterday as Hope Hicks.

“Maersk acknowledged that it owes a special duty of care to USMMA cadets, yet even after the Sea Year program was reinstated in 2017, Maersk failed to implement and enforce adequate policies and procedures to protect these young women,” said Steven Kelly, a partner at law firm Sanford Heisler Sharp, which is representing the plaintiffs.

There have been previous incidents of sexual harassment at USMMA including a high profile case six years ago and a $1.4m settlement in 2020 for another victim.

This week Maersk revealed it has started interviewing its more than 350 female seafarers after reports of another sexual harassment case broke in Danish media over the weekend.

We are now making a massive effort to create a cultural change onboard our ships