New Alliance Targets Sexual Misconduct at Sea

The All Aboard Alliance has launched Unspoken, a project to develop a global framework for companies to better identify, prevent, and respond to unwanted sexual behaviour aboard vessels.

There is strong evidence that sexual misconduct at sea is both widespread and significantly underreported, said the Alliance. A 2025 report found that 80% of seafarers surveyed had experienced or witnessed a sexual offence at sea within the last five years alone.

Unspoken will gather stories from seafarers about their personal experiences with sexual misconduct at sea. These stories will then inform the development of the industry’s first consistent, global framework for companies to better assess the severity of incidents and respond proportionately.

“Improving conditions for our seafaring teams means needing to confront some of the uncomfortable truths about the realities of life at sea. In doing so, we are working towards making the maritime sector a more attractive career path,” said Mikael Skov, CEO of Hafnia and All Aboard Alliance Co-Chair.

Through Unspoken, seafarers can anonymously share parts or all of their personal stories, some of which will then be shared publicly on the website to showcase the scale of the issue and challenge the silence that often surrounds it.

The data collected will help the Alliance better understand different forms of misconduct, how incidents are assessed and responded to, and how to strengthen prevention measures.