Several work environment studies have concluded that female seafarers experience harassment and sexual assaults, but the Maritime Council in Denmark has only received one report of sexual harassment over the past six years.
Over the past few years, scores of studies have found that many women who work on ships experience bullying, sexual harassment, sexual assault and other forms of unwanted attention.
In the US, more and more cases are being reported to the Coast Guard.
However, very few SASH (sexual assault or sexual harassment) cases where incidents took place sailing under Danish banners are being reported to Danish authorities, a request for information WPO made to the Danish Maritime Authority has found.
In fact, over the past six years, just one report has been filed, and that was back in 2016.
Due to confidentiality concerns, the agency cannot reveal many details about the case, so the carrier, people involved, nature of the complaint and ship details remain unknown. How the case ended is also confidential information.
We cannot make a ruling in cases like this, we can only offer guidance
The Danish Maritime Authority
”However, we can say that the council offered guidance to the seafarer. We cannot make a ruling in cases like this, we can only offer guidance,” the response to the request for information states.
By this, the authority means that it can advise the person reporting the incident to contact their union or seek legal help.
May lead to inspections
A complaint or report concerning possible infringement of the Maritime Labor Convention (MLC) may also lead to an inspection of the ship and crew in question by the Maritime Authority.
However, the ship’s captain, carrier and crew may not be told about the reason for the inspection, or even that it is due to a complaint.
Furthermore, there is no obligation to report sexual harassment or other complaints to the maritime authority, meaning there could be cases that have bypassed the agency and been taken up by unions or the police.
The lack of cases reported to the council stands in stark contrast to the conclusions of several studies, which suggest that sexual harassment and sexual assault cases are a significant problem, especially for female seafarers.
In June, two women sued Maersk’s US subsidiary, Maersk Line Limited, in a US court over SASH incidents.
Lack of protection
The two women who sued Maersk in June accused the liner for failing to protect them and take responsibility when they were raped and sexually assaulted on a Maersk ship in 2019 and 2021, respectively.
The women said that Maersk had known about problems with sexual harassment on the ship in question since 2016 without acting.
Both cases were raised at the US Coast Guard, alongside a third case involving inappropriate messages sent to a ship’s cook by a captain in 2021.
When the news broke in June, Maersk Fleet Head Palle Laursen told Danish national broadcaster DR that the liner’s handling of harassment cases had not been good enough, and that Maersk had a problem with this kind of behavior among its employees at sea.
These cases led the Danish Minister of Business Affairs Simon Kollerup to demand an ”investigation into harassment and bullying on Danish ships,” while according to a Swedish study conducted in December 2021, over 50% of female seafarers experience bullying or harassment.
We cannot make a ruling in cases like this, we can only offer guidance
The Danish Maritime Authority
”Both the Swedish investigation and comments from Mærsk indicate that there could be a lot of unreported cases on Danish ships,” Kollerup said in a press statement.
Industry association Danske Rederier is participating in a focus group on the topic alongside unions, and acknowledges that these cases are a problem in shipping.
The association itself has previously helped to document this through an investigation conducted with WIS-Denmark.
”One assault is one too many”
”One assault is one too many, and we will do everything we can to prevent them from happening. We therefore support all of Danske Rederier’s initiatives to prevent harassment and assault,” Anne W. Trolle, head of recruiting and education at Danske Rederier, says in an email to WPO.
The Swedish investigation and comments from Mærsk indicate that there could be a lot of unreported cases on Danish ships
Simon Kollerup, Danish Minister of Business Affairs
”We must ensure that all employees feel safe on board, and we and our members are therefore working towards a cultural shift, which is unfortunately necessary in some parts of the industry,” she adds.
According to Danske Rederier, it would ”be natural to utilize the procedure that is in place for processing complaints,” for SASH cases and ”make seafarers aware of them when they are hired.”
Part of the procedure is that the seafarer can complain to the captain or liner, and if necessary, the relevant authorities. Danske Rederier says that depending on the nature of the incident, this could be the Maritime Authority or the police.
Harassment investigation
The investigation covers harassment and assault related to sexual, religious, cultural and homophobic discrimination, and aims to determine the extent of the problem on Danish ships.
A focus group has been appointed consisting of representatives from the following organizations: Danske Rederier, Metal Maritime, Maskinmesterenes Forening, 3F Sømændene,Lederne Søfart, KL, FOA, Færgesekretariatet og Småøernes Færgeselskab.
The Center of Maritime Health and Society at the University of Southern Denmark is conducting the investigation, which will be concluded by the end of this year.
