AP Moller-Maersk is investigating a sexual assault allegation on board a vessel owned by its subsidiary based in the United States and has suspended five American officers involved in the case.
The recent report of a sexual assault onboard an undisclosed Maersk Line Limited (MLL) vessel by a former cadet has garnered considerable notice in the United States maritime sector as well as on a global scale. The cadet is currently certified as a midshipman at the United States Merchant Marine Academy (USMMA).
In a post published by Maritime Legal Aid & Advocacy, a recognized non-profit organization dedicated to eradicating sexual harassment and sexual abuse onboard ships, an extensive account of the incident reported that a 60-year-old First Engineer raped her after indulging in a heavy drinking session where several senior officers of the highest ranks were also present.
According to the Danish national daily newspaper Berlingske, the allegation has already reached the desk of APMM CEO Søren Skou at the MLL parent company’s headquarters in Copenhagen.
“There are sufficient details for us to determine which ship and which crew members are involved. That is why we have a premise for beginning an investigation and have suspended the five officers involved in the matter,” Palle Laursen, technical manager at APMM, told the outlet. “This has left us profoundly shocked. The way the incident is described violates not just common decency, but also our values and what we stand for at Maersk.”
Maersk has subsequently identified the ship and suspended five officers further awaiting the outcome of the investigation. The information discovered from the probe would quite certainly be turned over to the police, and Laursen told Berlingske that the investigation might look into other seafarers as well.
The US Department of Transportation and Maritime Administration has also launched an investigation into the event and allegations that more cadets have been subjected to sexual abuse while sailing as well as on the grounds of the US Merchant Marine Academy in Kings Point, New York.
This is not the first time that a sexual assault controversy has involved a Maersk vessel. The company was penalized US$10,000 in November 2020 for neglecting to notify the Coast Guard of an allegation of sexual assault on the Maersk Idaho by 46 USC § 10104, as mandated.
Ankur Kundu
Correspondent
