The United States Maritime Academy at King’s Point has paused Sea Year, a program that sends cadets to sea aboard commercial ships, after a female midshipman at the school shared an account in September of being raped by a crew member while serving at sea. This is the second suspension of the program in the last six years over allegations of sexual harassment and assault.
In a post on the website of an advocacy group, and in a subsequent interview with the Washington Post, the woman described being assaulted and having to spend several more weeks onboard with her alleged attacker.
The Washington Post observes that while the nation’s other service academies have struggled to address sexual assault, the Merchant Marine Academy is unique in sending its students out for long spells on privately run ships. The program was previously halted, in 2016, and officials put in place measures designed to improve cadets’ safety, including mandatory sexual assault and harassment training for commercial crews hosting cadets.
Advocates for female sailors and victims of assault have questioned the effectiveness of those changes.
The Washington Post also noted that the woman whose account triggered the new reckoning said her aim was not to get the sea-year program shut down. In a statement issued by her lawyer, she questioned whether the step would be effective because of the challenges of holding people who commit assaults accountable.
“As Kings Pointers, we should not surrender the ships of the U.S. Merchant Marine to sexual predators,” the woman said. (The Post does not identify victims of sexual assault without their permission.) She continued: “We should instead be focused on ruthlessly eliminating these predators and the people and groups who enable and defend them, from the maritime industry forever.”
The midshipman was sailing on a Maersk Line, Limited vessel, part of the Danish shipping giant’s American fleet. While her account was anonymous, the company was able to identify the ship and the crew members alleged to have been involved. Five sailors were suspended, and the company said it would refresh its sexual assault training. Maersk Line said Wednesday its investigation is ongoing.