Maersk settles whistleblower case and changes policy - Ship Technology
Danish container shipping giant Maersk has settled a whistleblower discrimination case in the US and agreed to delete negative records of its former employee.
The case was brought against Maersk Line by the US Department of Labor after a Chief Mate on one of the firm’s US-flagged ships was fired for reporting safety concerns directly to the Coast Guard without first informing Maersk.
As a result of the out-of-court settlement, the shipping line will compensate the unnamed sailor and change its safety reporting policies.
Solicitor for the Department, Seema Nanda, said: “No employer may violate whistleblower regulations or create policies that require employees to notify their employer before they report concerns to federal regulatory agencies.
A hearing by the US government’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration “found the company violated the employee’s rights under the federal Seaman’s Protection Act by retaliating against the seaman.”
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Before the reversal, Maersk’s internal policies disallowed employees from “contacting the USCG or other federal, state or local regulatory agencies without first notifying the company.” This was found to violate US federal law.
According to the Department of Labor, it began an investigation after an incident in 2020.
“The seaman alerted the U.S. Coast Guard about safety concerns aboard the Safmarine Mafadi, a 50,000-ton, 958-foot container...
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