Sexual harassment in yachting is any unwanted conduct of a sexual nature, verbal, written or physical, that creates a hostile, degrading or threatening environment, or that is used to pressure you into something you have not consented to. It is not a misunderstanding. It is not part of the culture. It is not something that comes with the job. And it is not your fault. Research by the Professional Yachting Association, drawn from a survey of 820 yacht officers, interior crew and shoreside staff presented at the Monaco Yacht Show’s Sea Change seminar, found that 40% of yacht crew have experienced unwanted sexual contact, mostly from colleagues. This guide exists because silence should never be the expected response.
In This Guide You’ll Learn
- What sexual harassment and sexual assault are — and the clear legal definitions that cut through industry confusion
- The data behind how widespread harassment is in yachting — including what crew who have experienced it actually describe
- Why so many crew do not report it and why is that not their fault
- The precise steps to take if you are being harassed — right now, whether at sea or in port
- What vessels and management companies are legally required to have in place — and what to do when they do not
How Widespread Is Harassment in the Yachting Industry — The Data
40% of yacht crew have experienced unwanted sexual contact, mostly from colleagues — PYA Sea Change Survey, 820 respondents, Monaco Yacht Show 2018
19% of cases reported to ISWAN helplines involved sexual abuse or harassment — ISWAN / Superyacht Content analysis
125% quarter-on-quarter rise in ABHDV contacts to ISWAN’s YachtCrewHelp — with 80% of 2024 contacts coming from women
66% of women in maritime reported being harassed or intimidated by male colleagues — WISTA International / Anglo Eastern / ISWAN / ICS survey, 1,128 women from 78 countries
7% of women who reported sexual assault or harassment to superior officers were satisfied with the outcome — WISTA International
These numbers represent only what gets reported and surveyed. According to the International Labour Organization, Lloyd’s Register Foundation and Gallup, more than one in five employees globally have experienced workplace violence or harassment. Onboard vessels, the combination of isolation, hierarchical power structures, and fear of repercussions can create conditions in which harmful behaviour is more likely to occur and less likely to be reported.
“Perpetrators can get away with it under the guise of too much alcohol.” — Angela Wallace, Director of Welfare, PYA
Related: Why Are You Afraid to Speak Up Onboard — and What Happens When Nobody Does?
What Is Sexual Harassment — and What Is Sexual Assault — Understanding the Definitions
There is genuine confusion in the industry about these terms and that confusion is exploited by those who benefit from it. Clear definitions matter because they prevent normalisation and determine which legal frameworks apply.
Sexual harassment
Sexual harassment is unwanted conduct of a sexual nature — verbal, written or physical — that has the purpose or effect of violating a person’s dignity or creating an intimidating, hostile, degrading, humiliating or offensive environment. Under US law, it is codified as a form of sex discrimination under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Under EU law, it is prohibited under the Equal Treatment Directive. Under MLC 2006, flag states are required to ensure seafarers are protected against bullying and harassment onboard. Sexual harassment includes three distinct categories:
- Sexual coercion — using power or authority to manipulate a person into compliance with sexual demands, either explicitly or implicitly. A HOD required a stew who refused his sexual advances to clean the engine room until 3 am. This is sexual coercion under any legal framework.
- Unwanted sexual attention — unwanted kissing, groping, touching, persistent pressure for dates or sexualised comments about a person’s body or appearance. The PYA survey included examples of groping, being drugged, and being assaulted while on a crew night out. These are not grey areas.
- Gender harassment — conduct that demeans or discriminates based on gender, including crude sexual language, sexualised images in shared spaces and questions of a sexual nature during employment interviews. A Captain asked a stewardess candidate during an interview what her menstrual cycle was like. This is gender harassment and, in most jurisdictions a legally actionable employment discrimination claim.
Sexual assault
Sexual assault is a criminal offence that encompasses any form of unwanted physical sexual contact — including rape, unwanted touching of a sexual nature and forcing a person to touch another person sexually. It is categorically distinct from other forms of harassment in that it is criminal in every jurisdiction, regardless of where the vessel operates. A US case cited at the PYA Sea Change seminar resulted in a crew member receiving a US$70 million settlement. The criminal and civil liability for sexual assault onboard a vessel is real, significant and prosecutable.
Why Don’t Crew Report It — and Why That Is Not Their Fault
The WISTA survey finding — 7% satisfaction rate when harassment was reported to superior officers — is the most important single statistic in this guide. It explains, without requiring any further analysis, why crew do not report. When crew members know from experience or observation that reporting harassment produces outcomes worse than silence — dismissal, blacklisting, further harassment, and the destruction of the reference trail that their careers depend on — remaining silent is a rational, self-protective decision. It is not a weakness. It is the logical response to a system that has consistently failed to protect people who spoke up.
The structural factors that compound this are specific to the maritime environment. A vessel at sea has no HR department, no third-party mediator and no ability for the crew member to physically exit the situation. The person to whom harassment should be reported is often either the harasser or someone who depends professionally on the harasser’s goodwill. Human Rights at Sea International (HRaSi) is actively advocating for the implementation of the Geneva Declaration on Human Rights at Sea, which asserts that human rights apply at sea precisely as they do on land because the current regulatory framework leaves crew in international waters with far fewer protections than they would have in any land-based workplace.
The normalisation of alcohol in yachting culture — the ‘work hard, play hard’ mentality documented by The Triton’s investigation into the dark side of yachting — creates an additional layer of confusion: incidents that occur when crew are drinking are harder to prosecute and easier for perpetrators to dismiss. This is a feature of the environment, not a mitigating factor for the perpetrator.
Related: Nobody Told Me It Would Feel Like This — Crew Welfare and What You Deserve
What to Do If You Are Being Harassed or Have Been Assaulted — Step by Step
Step 1: Know that you have done nothing wrong
Shame, guilt and self-doubt are the most common initial responses to harassment and assault. They are also the responses that perpetrators rely on to maintain silence. You are not responsible for another person’s behaviour. You did not invite it, cause it or deserve it. Stating this is not a formality — it is the precondition for every step that follows, because those steps require you to act in your own interest in a situation that has been designed to make you believe you have no interests worth protecting.
Step 2: Document everything, immediately
Write down every incident: date, time, exact location on the vessel, precisely what was said or done, whether any other crew members were present and any communication — messages, emails, verbal instructions — that followed. Keep this record somewhere the perpetrator cannot access: a personal device, a private email to yourself, a notebook you take off the vessel. This documentation is your most important asset if you choose to make a formal complaint, contact a welfare organisation or pursue legal action. It also protects you from the gaslighting and memory distortion that commonly follow traumatic experiences in isolated environments.
Step 3: Tell someone you trust — on or off the vessel
A trusted crew member, a friend ashore, a family member. Not because you need their permission to act, but because isolation amplifies both the impact of harassment and the barriers to reporting it. If no one on the vessel is safe to tell, contact ISWAN YachtCrewHelp — free, confidential, 24/7 via WhatsApp, live chat and phone. Their welfare workers are trained specifically in maritime harassment cases and can help you assess your situation and your options without requiring you to commit to any course of action.
Step 4: Understand your reporting options
You have multiple channels available, in order of formality:
- The Designated Person Ashore (DPA) at your management company — required by the ISM Code and MLC 2006 to receive and act on crew welfare complaints independently of the captain. If the DPA is unresponsive, document this.
- The Professional Yachting Association (PYA) — advocating for crew rights in harassment cases and providing guidance on formal reporting processes.
- Nautilus International — the specialist seafarer trade union, providing legal support, confidential advice and access to female officials for members. Non-members can still access initial advice; email women@nautilusint.org for gender-based harassment cases.
- ISWAN YachtCrewHelp — independent of vessel and management company, available 24/7, multilingual and free.
- Flag state authority — for incidents that constitute criminal offences. If the vessel is in port, local police have jurisdiction over criminal offences committed in their territory regardless of the vessel’s flag.
Step 5: Know that leaving is always an option — and is never defeat
MLC 2006 provides that a seafarer may terminate their Seafarer Employment Agreement immediately without penalty in cases that constitute a serious danger to their health or safety. Sexual harassment and assault qualify. Contact your DPA and document the grounds for termination in writing before departure. If you are dismissed for reporting or refusing harassment, this constitutes unlawful dismissal in virtually every jurisdiction and Nautilus International can provide legal support for members pursuing such claims.
What Captains and HODs Are Legally Required to Do
Under MLC 2006 and the ISM Code, every vessel is required to have a formal onboard complaints procedure that is accessible to all crew, independent of the normal management hierarchy. Under MLC Standard A5.1.5, complaints must be handled confidentially and without retaliation against the complainant. Under flag-state duty-of-care obligations, Captains are required to take immediate action when a complaint of harassment or assault is made — including separating the parties, documenting the complaint, and notifying the DPA.
The standard that many vessels currently meet — an unwritten cultural expectation that crew manage interpersonal issues privately — does not satisfy these legal requirements. As Karine Rayson presented at the Monaco Yacht Show Sea Change forum: Captains and HODs are not getting the leadership training they need to understand these obligations. When a captain fails to act on a harassment complaint, they are not just making a poor management decision — they are in breach of their MLC 2006 obligations, and the DPA and flag state authority have the power to hold them accountable.
Frequently Asked Questions
What counts as sexual harassment — what if I am not sure?
If the conduct was sexual in nature and you did not welcome it, it is almost certainly some form of sexual harassment. The legal test in most jurisdictions is objective: would a reasonable person in your position experience this conduct as creating a hostile, degrading or threatening environment? The answer is not determined by whether the perpetrator intended harm, by the norms of the vessel culture or by whether you ‘said anything at the time.’ When in doubt, contact ISWAN YachtCrewHelp and describe what happened. Their trained welfare workers can help you assess the situation without requiring you to categorise it yourself first.
I was harassed by a Guest or Owner, not a colleague. What are my options?
Your options are identical. Your right to a safe working environment applies regardless of whether the perpetrator is a crew member, a Captain or an Owner. In many ways, owner or guest harassment is structurally more complex precisely because of the economic power the owner holds over the captain and management company — but the legal obligations of the Captain and DPA to act are not conditional on the status of the perpetrator. If the Captain fails to protect you from harassment by the owner or guests, contact your DPA directly and in writing. If the management company also fails to act, Nautilus International and the flag state authority are your next points of escalation.
The harassment happened months ago. Is it too late to report it?
It is not too late. Documentation may be more difficult to compile retrospectively, but your account — particularly if you made contemporaneous notes, messages to friends or family or confided in someone at the time — remains significant evidence. Many of the cases that produce meaningful industry change are not immediate reports. They are accounts that were kept silent for months or years before the person felt safe enough to come forward. ISWAN, PYA and Nautilus International can all work with retrospective reports and will help you understand the specific timelines that apply under the relevant legal jurisdiction.
How do I support a colleague who I believe is being harassed?
Believe them first and without condition. Ask direct, private, non-pressuring questions: ‘I have noticed something that concerns me — are you okay? Is there anything happening that you need support with?’ Share this guide with them. Tell them about ISWAN YachtCrewHelp and Nautilus. Offer to go with them to a conversation with the DPA or captain if they choose to report. If they choose not to report, do not abandon them — stay present, maintain the relationship and let them know the option remains open. The most common regret crew members express is not having had someone stand alongside them when it was happening. You can be that person.
I am a captain. What should I do if a crew member reports harassment to me?
Act immediately. Separate the parties. Take a written statement from the crew member. Notify the DPA in writing the same day. Document your response. Do not attempt to mediate between the complainant and the perpetrator — this is not a dispute-resolution situation; it is a welfare and potentially criminal one. Your obligation under MLC 2006 is to ensure that the crew member’s complaint is heard, documented, acted upon and that no retaliation follows. If the alleged perpetrator holds a position above the crew member, or if you are the subject of the complaint, the DPA is the correct first port of call. Seeking guidance from ISWAN or Nautilus International as to your own obligations is both legitimate and advisable.
Where to Get Help — Right Now
- ISWAN YachtCrewHelp — free, confidential, multilingual, available 24/7. Live chat and all contact methods at yachtcrewhelp.org
- Nautilus International — legal support, representation and confidential advice for seafarers. For gender-based harassment: women@nautilusint.org.
- Professional Yachting Association (PYA) — industry advocacy, welfare guidance and support for crew in harassment cases.
- Human Rights at Sea International (HRaSi) — advocacy and legal frameworks for human rights at sea. humanrightsatsea.org
- Safer Waves — email-based support for seafarers who have experienced sexual violence, harassment or gender discrimination.
- The Crew Coach Counselling — confidential one-to-one counselling with a registered counsellor who understands the superyacht environment.
For Captains and Management Companies — Building Cultures That Prevent Harassment
The Crew Coach Advanced Leadership Course includes dedicated content on duty-of-care obligations, MLC 2006 compliance, creating formal complaint procedures and building the psychological safety culture that makes harassment less likely to occur and more likely to be reported when it does.
