User:CodornicesCovey/Midshipman X

Midshipman X is the pseudonym of Hope Hicks, who published allegations of being raped while a United States Merchant Marine Academy cadet during training on a commercial vessel operated by A.P. Moeller-Maersk, and later sued Maersk over the incident. The allegations and lawsuit have been credited with focusing attention on sexual assault and harassment in the majority-male maritime industry, which is supervised by the United States Coast Guard, and facilitating change.

In October 2021, "Midshipman-X" published a blog with the Maritime Legal Aid Advocate titled "I Was a 19-Year-Old Virgin When I Was Raped by a 60+ Year-Old 1st Engineer Aboard a Maersk Ship During Sea Year. I Know Several Other Current USMMA Students Who Were Also Raped During Sea Year." An 18 year old cadet who remained anonymous as "Midshipman-Y" said she “endured sexualized jokes, sexual advances, and unwanted sexual touching” aboard the same ship, the Alliance Fairfax, in 2021. The allegations led to government investigations; Maersk's suspension of five officers; and the suspension of the USMMA's "sea year," during which cadets train on commercial vessels. The program was also suspended in 2016 over sexual harassment concerns.

On Wednesday, Maersk Line, Limited pointed to a February statement saying the five had been terminated, three for violations of the company’s alcohol policy and two, including the alleged attacker, for failing to cooperate with the investigation.

Lawsuits against Maersk
In June 2022, the lawsuit against Maersk is resolved with neither side reveiling the details of the settlement. This resulted in Maersk creating a full time training program in the reporting and avoidance of sexual assault.