Report: Record number of sexual misconduct cases reported at U.S. Merchant Marine Academy

U.S. Merchant Marine Academy midshipmen reported 31 incidents of sexual assault, harassment, stalking or relationship violence during the 2024-25 academic year, a nearly 30% increase from one year earlier, although a university survey showed instances of alleged sexual misconduct may actually be significantly higher, according to a new report to Congress.

The report, issued by USMMA to House and Senate lawmakers, indicates that the Kings Point university — one of the nation's five federal service academies, and the first to accept women — has yet to turn the page on a decade-long sexual misconduct scandal, despite widespread efforts to strengthen its culture of sexual assault and harassment prevention.

"USMMA is cautiously optimistic that sustained prevention efforts can reduce the prevalence of sexual misconduct and serve to build trust in systems where midshipmen feel supported in reporting all forms of sexual misconduct when it occurs," according to the report, which was provided to Newsday by the Maritime Administration, which oversees the academy.

The 31 sexual misconduct allegations tied for the most — an identical number was reported in 2022/23 — since the Academy began maintaining the data more than a decade ago.

Sexual assaults on the rise

The 18-page report shows that eight midshipmen — four men and four women — reported incidents of sexual assault in 2024/25. The accused include three male midshipmen, one female midshipman, three male crew members of vessels where midshipmen were working and one male stranger, the data shows.

Six of the assault reports were "restricted," meaning the incident was disclosed to a sexual assault response coordinator or victim advocate, but no official investigation was requested. Another two incidents were "unrestricted" and subject to investigation. Records show one administrative investigation was launched, with the results still pending.

There were two alleged sexual assaults in the 2023/24 academic year; 12 in 2022-23; six in 2021/22; nine in 2020/21; and six in 2019/20, according to USMMA data.

In a statement, an academy spokesperson said: "It has never been easier for a USMMA cadet to report prohibited behaviors on commercial vessels at sea."

An additional 20 USMMA midshipmen — 17 women and three men — reported incidents of sexual harassment, up from 19 one year earlier, the report states. In nearly all cases, the accused was one or more men, including students, crew members or employees, the data shows.

Seven of the harassment reports were unrestricted, leading to four administrative investigations, two of which were substantiated. It was not immediately clear what happened to the accused in those cases.

In one case involving a crew member, the shipping company determined that no investigation was warranted, the report states. At sea, the Coast Guard Investigative Service has oversight of sexual misconduct.

The Academy also received one restricted report of stalking by a female midshipman against a male stranger, the report states.

Two female midshipmen also filed reports of relationship violence against male midshipmen. One report was unrestricted, leading to an investigation which determined the complaint was unsubstantiated, the university found.

In total, 35% of the allegations in the 2024/25 report were unrestricted, compared to 70% in the previous year.

J. Ryan Melogy, a maritime employment attorney who represented several former USMMA midshipmen that reported being sexually assaulted during the school's Sea Year program, in which students complete more than 300 days of work on commercial vessels in international waters, said the report does not explain whether law enforcement conducted criminal investigations in any of the cases.

"The Academy has always prioritized suppression of reporting and keeping criminal allegations in-house and out of public view," Melogy said, adding that half of the positions, including the director spot, in USMMA's Sexual Assault Prevention and Response Office, remain vacant. "A half-staffed response office, unanswered tracking questions, and an unexplained law enforcement response do little to change that assessment. Keeping the Academy out of the headlines is not the same as keeping students safe."

Real numbers could be higher

While incidents of reported sexual misconduct are on the rise, a survey of midshipmen conducted in 2024 found the number is likely much higher.

For example, 75 USMMA women — or 48% of all female midshipmen — said they experienced sexually harassment in that academic year, the survey found.

Another 13.7% of female midshipmen, or 22 USMMA women, disclosed experiencing unwanted sexual conduct, the report stated.

Those figures, however, are down 12% in both categories compared to survey results from 2022.

Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.), who co-sponsored legislation that strengthened prevention, training and investigations at USMMA, said the report raises continued concerns.

"While this most recent report does show an encouraging drop in the estimated rate of unwanted sexual contact and sexual harassment experienced by midshipmen, it is clear that more work must be done to stamp out the scourge of sexual misconduct at USMMA," Gillibrand said. "Midshipmen deserve to feel safe and protected as they prepare to serve their country."

More than 82% of students at USMMA are men, according to university data.

"For far too long, sexual assault and harassment have persisted in institutions across New York and the country," said Rep. Tom Suozzi (D-Glen Cove), who sits on USMMA’s oversight board. "This remains a national cultural failing and the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy must confront this problem with the urgency and accountability it demands."

USMMA midshipmen are trained to work on deep sea vessels and in the military, has been the subject of years of complaints of sexual misconduct, which twice prompted suspension of the Sea Year program.

The most recent suspension, lifted in December 2021, was prompted when then-cadet Hope Hicks reported, anonymously at the time, to a whistleblower website that an engineering supervisor 40 years her senior plied her with alcohol, waited until she was incapacitated and raped her on a commercial ship. Hicks disclosed her identity after filing a lawsuit against shipping giant Maersk. She settled the suit in 2022.

Her disclosure prompted implementation of the Every Mariner Builds a Respectful Culture program, which dictates policies that vessel operators must follow to prevent sexual misconduct. They include controlling access to the vessel's master keys, ensuring there are working locks on cadets’ stateroom doors and that they have a contact at the carriers’ corporate offices to discuss areas of concern.