The US Coast Guard will take criminal action against those committing sexual assault at sea, a senior official at the agency said on Wednesday.
Assistant commandant for prevention policy John Mauger encouraged anyone who has suffered sexual abuse on board a US-flag vessel to report it.
He was speaking at the Connecticut Maritime Association's 2021 conference in Stamford — and following bombshell rape allegations made by an anonymous student at the US Merchant Marine Academy (USMMA).
"Sexual assault is a crime if committed on board a US vessel. There are provisions in the law to report that," he said.
"The Coast Guard will investigate those crimes with specially trained investigators to handle those cases. We will take criminal action against mariners who commit those crimes, or against individuals that commit those crimes."
In late September, Maritime Legal Aid & Advocacy published the account of an academy student who detailed her rape at the hands of an officer on board a Maersk Line Ltd (MLL) ship during the at-sea training programme known as Sea Year after being pressured into drinking.
She said she knew of five other female students at the academy who had been raped.
In the aftermath, MLL said it had suspended five of the unnamed ship's crew members while it investigated the incident.
It said it had a zero-tolerance policy towards sexual assault and alcohol use.
MLL is the US subsidiary of AP Moller-Maersk and has so far made $242m in US government contracts.
Mauger also said the Coast Guard can revoke merchant mariner credentials for those accused of sexual misconduct.
"We have special investigators that work those misconduct cases as well. We’ll pursue any reports of misconduct to the Coast Guard," he said.
This week, TradeWinds reported on the case of an MLL officer, Mark Stinziano, who is in danger of losing his credentials based on allegations that he groped a USMMA cadet and a lower-ranking officer and showed another cadet pornography.
