Hope Hicks and Maersk Line Ltd have settled in Hicks’ high-profile sexual assault at sea lawsuit.
The two sides had been in discussions since September after Hicks — previously known as Midshipman X — sued the AP Moller-Maersk subsidiary in June over allegations she was raped aboard one of its ships as a student at the US Merchant Marine Academy (USMMA).
“It is important to me that my case has brought greater awareness of the issue of sexual assault and harassment at sea,” Hicks said in a statement.
“The leadership of [Maersk Line Ltd] has expressed the need for change. The changes that [Maersk Line Ltd] has proposed are an important first step, but there is still a lot of work to be done in the maritime industry.”
Maersk Line Ltd chief executive William Woodhour said the events described by Hicks are unacceptable.
“No matter who and where you are, those who work with us must feel safe and protected in our work environment,” he said.
Terms of the settlement agreement were not disclosed.
Hicks first detailed the incident in an anonymous essay published on the Maritime Legal Aid and Advocacy website in September 2021. She said she was raped by an engineer 40 years her senior after being pressured into drinking until blackout during her Sea Year term, where USMMA students are placed on merchant ships for training purposes.
She said she woke up the next day with bloody sheets and vague memories of the alleged assailant forcing her to kiss him and perform oral sex on him.
She said at least five of her female classmates — 10% of the women in the USMMA’s class of 2022 — were raped during their Sea Year voyages.
As the essay was shared far and wide across social media, Hicks became known as Midshipman X. She would eventually go public in June this year in conjunction with the filing of her lawsuit.
In an interview with TradeWinds, she said she did not expect the post to garner any attention and that her rape would be covered up.
“People commended me on writing that, even anonymously,” Hicks said. “It was mostly a positive reaction to that article and I was just blown away by that.”
It was the second sexual misconduct scandal to hit the academy in less than a decade, following an incident in 2016, and prompted a second suspension of Sea Year as officials attempted to reform the programme.
Still in talks elsewhere
Hicks’ June lawsuit was filed alongside a second USMMA student, only known as Midshipman Y.
The female student said she suffered several instances of unwanted touching and sexual comments from the ship’s engineer and was made to do extra work in the galley by the captain and chief mate not required by other students.
She said she would eventually sleep locked in the bathroom with a knife and would begin suffering panic attacks once back on campus.
Midshipman Y and Maersk Line Ltd began settlement talks at the same time Hicks and the US-flagged boxship operator did and are still in negotiations, her camp said.
Maersk Line Ltd declined to comment on the case.
The US Merchant Marine Academy has about 1,045 students.
Along with the Military Academy, Naval Academy, Air Force Academy and Coast Guard Academy, Kings Point is one of five federally funded service academies. Students must obtain a merchant marine officer’s licence before graduation and maintain it for the next six years while serving five years as an officer or in another maritime-related job. Students also join the Navy Reserve.
During Sea Year, students spend parts of their second and third years at the academy on board US-flagged ships.
The academy pitches the programme as key for student development, providing the opportunity to learn in a hands-on environment while developing self-discipline, confidence and human relations skills while sailing the globe.
