The efforts of US shipping officials to bring diversity to the country’s merchant mariner pool and its maritime academy have been scrubbed from the internet and can now only be traced to dead links and deleted pages.

Even a list of student diversity groups at the federal government’s only maritime academy has died the same death.

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The cull came after US President Donald Trump ordered an end to diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) programmes across the federal government.

Under US maritime administrator Ann Phillips, who stepped down at the end of Joe Biden’s administration, officials developed a strategy to bring women and underrepresented minorities into academies, aiming to shape the next generation of merchant seafarers.

The US Maritime Administration (MARAD) published the strategy in December, but it was removed from the agency’s website sometime after 26 January.

It now exists online only in internet archives such as the Wayback Machine.

Phillips wrote in the report: “An afloat workplace must be safe and free from discrimination of any kind.

“To promote this environment, we are committed to creating a workforce more representative of America’s large and diverse population.

“Our strategy identifies initiatives to assist in improving diversity at the maritime academies that graduate almost 1,000 officers every year. This is just one of many steps we are taking to foster shipboard cultures free of discrimination and harassment of any kind.”

Enhancing crew performance

The former US Navy rear admiral, the first woman to lead MARAD, said developing a diverse mariner workforce reflecting America’s diversity improves life onboard ships and enhances crew performance.

According to a MARAD report mandated by a 2022 law, 87% of mariners credentialed between 2013 and 2022 were male, and 77% were white.

MARAD strategy’s five action items on diversity

1. Seek input from affinity groups to identify problems and obtain recommendations on outreach.

2. Establish initiatives to improve recruitment and retention at maritime academies.

3. Evaluate current marketing and outreach efforts to raise visibility of the merchant marine career.

4. Improve data analytics to prioritise outreach, including working with industry to introduce children to maritime.

5. Identify sources of financial aid for students who may struggle to meet degree and credentialing requirements in four years.

Source: MARAD/Wayback Machine

The strategy called for five actions aimed at improving outreach and identifying sources of financial aid.

But on his first day back in the White House, Trump signed an order terminating all DEI programmes.

Transportation secretary Sean Duffy followed nine days later with an order that he called the “Woke Recission” Memorandum, aimed at removing all DEI initiatives from his department, which includes MARAD.

He said the memo was an important step in restoring merit-based policies to the US transportation department.

Duffy said: “Under President Trump’s leadership, we are focused on eliminating excessive regulations that have hindered economic growth, increased costs for American families and prioritised far-left agendas over practical solutions.

“The American people deserve an efficient, safe and pro-growth transportation system based on sound decision-making, not political ideologies. These actions will help us deliver on that promise.”

The sweeping order called on officials throughout the department to identify and eliminate, where allowed by law, orders, rules, regulations, guidance documents and more with any reference to DEI.

Under US maritime administrator Ann Phillips, a retired US Navy rear admiral who was the agency’s first female leader, MARAD explored seafarer and maritime academy diversity. She has since stepped down. Photo: US Naval War College

Climate change nixed too

The order also called on the department’s agencies to do the same with references to climate change and greenhouse gas emissions, even though transportation is America’s biggest contributor to carbon emissions.

Among other MARAD documents lost in the cull was a report evaluating diversity at maritime academies, which was published on 10 January. The Wayback Machine last archived the page on 21 January.

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At the US Merchant Marine Academy, also known as King’s Point, the website previously encouraged students to join affinity groups. The site listed the Cultural Diversity Club, the KP Ladies’ Club, and the Asian and Pacific Islanders Club.

It also included the KP Open Seas Club, whose goal was to “educate midshipmen about LGBTQIA+ related issues” — a reference to lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, intersex, asexual, and other gender identities and sexual orientations.

Academy spokesman Michael O'Hagan said the school is committed to complying with federal laws and executive orders.

“Accordingly, we have removed DEI-related content from our Academy website and have suspended officially-chartered affinity groups,” he told TradeWinds. “Our mission and focus continues to be educating and graduating leaders of exemplary character, prepared to serve the national security, marine transportation, and economic needs of the United States.”

Brent Sadler, a senior research fellow who focuses on naval and maritime topics at the Trump-aligned Heritage Foundation think tank, said policies on DEI were divisive and counterproductive.

Recruitment opportunities

“Better would be expanding outreach to new communities for engagement and recruitment,” he said.

Sadler pointed to the bipartisan Ships for America Act, which looks to expand the offering of merchant marine opportunities by military recruiters.

“Despite the words in the name, DEI has no place in MARAD,” he said. (Copyright)

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