As we last reported, Congress passed the Safer Seas Act (SSA) in December 2022 to combat and address sexual assault and sexual harassment (SASH) in the maritime industry. Generally, the SSA requires owners or operators of US flagged vessels and/or employers of seafarers on US flagged vessels to (1) take steps to train their employees on the prevention of SASH; (2) report incidents of SASH aboard vessels; and (3) install video and audio surveillance systems on certain vessels. Likewise, the SSA delegates certain responsibilities to the US Coast Guard to investigate reports of SASH and to generally enforce its provisions. To assist stakeholders in navigating this new legislation and its requirements, the US Coast Guard has now issued several bulletins and policy letters to provide guidance. Continue reading >