Window on Washington: SASH is Back

This article originally appeared in the Second Quarter 2022 Benedict’s Maritime Bulletin. Reprinted with permission. Any opinions in this article are not those of Winston & Strawn or its clients. The opinions in this article are the author’s opinions only.

Policymakers in Washington have again turned their scrutiny upon the U.S.-flag fleet and the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy at Kings Point in the wake of new allegations of sexual assault and sexual harassment (SASH) connected to the Academy’s “Sea Year” program, which provides live deck-plate training for midshipmen out in the commercial fleet. SASH was a hot topic on Capitol Hill and at the U.S. Maritime Administration (MARAD) back in 2016, when SASH allegations placed the Academy’s accreditation in jeopardy. MARAD, Kings Point, and vessel operators imposed a raft of measures to reign-in misconduct, and the issue fell relatively quiet until October 2021, when “Midshipman X” publicly alleged she had been the victim of sexual assault during her Sea Year, when she was 19 years old.

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