At its spring conference this week, the Ship Operations Cooperative Program (SOCP) spotlighted its sexual assault and sexual harassment (SASH) online training course, available to all mariners at no cost. The training, developed under a cooperative agreement with the U.S. Maritime Administration (Marad), is designed to address workplace climate aboard U.S. commercial vessels.
SOCP representatives noted the program is part of a broader effort to support prevention, reporting, and trauma-informed response across the industry.
SOCP representatives emphasized that the training modules entailed real-world case examples within the training modules, highlighting these are not hypothetical scenarios. “These things actually happened,” said an attendee. “That context helps participants take it seriously.”
Beyond the SASH course, SOCP has developed additional tools including a best practices guide, prevention toolkits, and a consolidated support resources page. The page includes suicide prevention contacts, the DoD Safe Helpline, RAINN, and other national support hotlines.
SOCP representatives noted a new SASH contact desk guide has been proposed to Marad and is pending approval. The guide, if greenlit, will provide checklists, sample questions, and communication templates to assist onboard personnel in handling SASH disclosures in a trauma-informed manner. “We’re trying to make it practical,” one SOCP representative said. “If an officer gets a call, they’ll know how to handle it without making things worse.”
SOCP confirmed that the EMBARC Standards Program, created to instill respect and accountability aboard commercial vessels, will continue to be supported through its online training products. EMBARC training remains an annual requirement under current guidance. While some changes are expected given initiatives set by the Trump administration—particularly around diversity and inclusion language—there are no plans to sunset the program.
The Coast Guard’s updated anonymous reporting channels were also discussed. While some SASH-specific links have been removed from the now-decommissioned Homeport page, reporting options remain live and have expanded to include a broader category of “prohibited behaviors,” including bullying and non-sexual boundary violations.
SOCP leadership emphasized that practical training, not just theory, is key to driving cultural change. “We can’t just tell people to speak up, we need to give them the language and opportunity to practice it,” they said. “That’s where real progress happens.”
