A task force set up by alumni to tackle sexual assault and harassment at the US Merchant Marine Academy has hired a consultancy to carry out a comprehensive assessment of the situation at the elite maritime university in Kings Point.

The move comes after the US Department of Transportation (DOT) selected Logistics Management Institute to carry out a cultural assessment at the school to tackle what officials say is a persistent problem.

The Alumni Association and Foundation (AAF)’s Task Force on the Prevention of Sexual Assault and Sexual Harassment says Self Solutions will investigate best practises to tackle misconduct at the school, as well as explore the effectiveness of the suspension of cadet’s training berths on US-flag commercial ships, a controversial measure adopted by DOT to tackle the problem.

More transparency

And it will seek to improve effectiveness of current efforts to eliminate sexual misconduct and seek ways to increase transparency at the school.

The task force says it is confident that Self Solutions, which specialises in investigating behaviours and culture aboard ships and at academies, will help implement solutions to confront the challenges of sexual misconduct at the school.

“We stand ready to support the US Merchant Marine Academy in developing a facts-based plan for eliminating sexual misconduct and ensuring that current and future midshipmen are effectively trained in a safe environment,” said Eileen Roberson, the task force chairman and a former director of total force management for the US Navy’s Military Sealift Command.

Longstanding problem

The DOT and US Maritime Administration have been working to tackle a problem at the school that government reports say has has gone on for more than a decade.

Today, Marad it signed a $198,000 cooperative agreement with Ship Operations Cooperative Program to develop computer training modules and other training materials to improve the shipboard climate at Kings Point.

“The training material will help mariners better identify and prevent sexual harassment, bullying, retaliation, violence and other coercive behaviors as well as assist industry efforts to aggressively promote a culture of zero tolerance for such behavior,” said the agency, which oversees the academy.

Survey data

A gender-relations survey of midshipmen, as the students at the academy are known, revealed that 17.1% of women and 2% of men said they had been sexually assaulted.

Some 63% of women and 11% of men said they had suffered sexual harassment, according to government reports.

As part of the response, authorities suspended sea time for cadets that was later resumed only for government-controlled ships.

Data disagreement

Some maritime industry stakeholders have been critical of federal authorities’ continued suspension of sea time on commercial vessels, arguing that there is insufficient data in published surveys to support singling out US-flag ships as part of the problem.

But US Maritime Administrator Paul “Chip” Jaenichen has told TradeWinds that there is ample evidence beyond the survey data back the sea time halt.