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#MeToo on the high seas: Maersk admits it has a problem

Shipping giant has begun interviewing its 350 female maritime workers to get to the bottom of the issue … and this iceberg runs deep

Just a few days ago, Maersk was hailed as being one of the most attractive companies to work for by students starting their careers.

But women looking to join Maersk for a career on the high seas may want to reconsider following the firm’s admission that it has a #MeToo problem. 

Following a sexual assault case last autumn, the shipper started interviewing its 350 female maritime workers to get an overview of the situation. And it seems that the case was only the tip of the iceberg.

“The scope of the problem has surprised us. In connection with that [the interviews] we are investigating a number of other cases that have surfaced,” Palle Laursen, Maersk’s head of fleet, told DR Nyheder.

“I don’t want to give a specific number, but it’s enough for us to admit that we have a problem. The way we’ve handled these issues until now has been inadequate.”

READ ALSO: Maersk and Novo Nordisk rated among most attractive companies for students

Rooting out the bad apples
Laursen said that the company is taking big steps to change the culture aboard its ships, including establishing a 24-hour hotline for employees to reach out. 

Should it come to light that an individual has behaved in an unacceptable manner, that person will be terminated. 

The #MeToo wave has washed over the Swedish maritime sector recently and here over a thousand women revealed how they had experienced harassing behavior from colleagues while at sea.

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