The law is closing in on perpetrators of sexual abuse at sea with news that an American ship captain has surrendered his licence over allegations that he raped a female US Merchant Marine Academy (USSMA) cadet and attempted to assault another while working on board a US-flagged ship at sea.
In an exclusive report published by Long Island-focused Newsday, the captain is identified as John Christopher Merrone.
He has reportedly denied the allegations in a filing with the Coast Guard.
And according to CNN, it’s not the first time he’s been accused of rape. In 2011 a woman arrived at a hospital bruised and beaten, saying he had raped her in his apartment in the Florida Keys.
Merrone was arrested and sentenced by a jury to two years in prison, but his conviction was later overturned in appeals court.
His is the second high-profile action against a licensed master this year over sexual assault accusations. According to media reports, in May, an administrative law judge suspended the credentials of licensed master, Mark Steven Stinziano, for 12 months. He was accused of multiple counts of sexual assault, including abusive, non-consensual touching of a male deck cadet, as well as molestation, crude behaviour and intimidation. The judge concluded that Stinziano's actions constituted hazing, not sexual assault or molestation, and gave him a year-long licence suspension instead of a revocation.
The news follows recent coverage of a raft of allegations of sexual assault and harassment against female cadets during sea year training while attending the USMMA.
Last year a rape allegation posted online by a female member of the USMMA – who came to be known as Midshipman X, but who later revealed herself as Hope Hicks – cast the spotlight on the issue of sexual assault at sea.
She said of the 50 young women in her class at the USMMA, everyone had a story to tell of sexual harassment, assault, or degradation at some point during the last three years at the academy or during sea year.
According to a report by Mike Schuler of gCaptain, as a result of the allegation, Maersk Line is facing two lawsuits claiming that the company failed to protect USMMA midshipmen from sexual assault and harassment.
The lawsuits were filed on behalf of Hicks and a second unidentified USMMA student who claims she also experienced extreme sexual harassment, unwanted touching and discrimination while on board the same MLL ship as Hicks two years later, the report states.
Law firms Sanford Heisler Sharp, together with Maritime Legal Solutions, have filed the complaints in New York state court against Maersk Line. They allege that Maersk failed to adequately protect USMMA midshipmen from sexual assault and sexual harassment while working aboard Maersk ships as part of the USMMA’s “Sea Year” programme.
The first complaint was filed on behalf of Hope Hicks, who posted her blog under the moniker “Midshipman-X.” The second was filed on behalf of another USMMA student who goes by the moniker “Midshipman-Y.” According to the complaint, Midshipman-Y was so severely sexually harassed aboard a Maersk ship during her Sea Year that she slept clutching a knife for protection.
Hicks’ complaint alleges she was the only woman aboard her assigned Maersk vessel during her Sea Year in 2019 and that, while on board, she was raped by one of the ship’s top-ranking officers, a man more than 40 years her senior.
Midshipman-Y’s complaint alleges that she experienced extreme sexual harassment, unwanted touching and discrimination while on board the same Maersk vessel two years later.
According to the law firms, the complaints assert that Maersk’s conduct violates the Jones Act because the plaintiffs’ injuries were directly caused by Maersk’s negligence and failure to provide a seaworthy vessel. Hicks’ complaint also alleges a violation of the New York Human Rights Act, while Midshipman-Y’s complaint alleges violations of the New York Human Rights Act and Title VII. The complaints request a jury trial.
