Ryan Melogy
Maritime lawyerFormer marinerAdvocate for mariners, cadets, and survivors of maritime injury & abuse
Ryan Melogy is one of the most widely recognized maritime attorneys in the United States, and his work has helped drive a generational change in how sexual assault and abuse are addressed in the maritime industry. Today, he represents survivors of sexual assault, harassment, trafficking, and serious injury at sea and handles some of the most complex and high-profile cases seeking accountability for harm to mariners, maritime workers, and passengers.
After experiencing abuse at sea and having his own report covered up by Maersk, Ryan became a whistleblower and later served as a victim and star witness in the first known public sexual misconduct Suspension & Revocation trial ever prosecuted by the U.S. Coast Guard. That case exposed serious failures in how sexual misconduct aboard vessels was investigated and helped bring national attention to the issue of sexual violence at sea.
In 2022, Ryan worked with U.S. Merchant Marine Academy Midshipman Hope Hicks to publish her groundbreaking ‘Midshipman-X’ account of sexual assault at sea. Her blog post sparked widespread international media attention, congressional investigations, and sweeping reforms across the U.S. government, maritime industry, and the U.S. Coast Guard.
Ryan later represented Midshipman-X and her classmate ‘Midshipman-Y’ in their groundbreaking civil lawsuits against Maersk Line and in their dealings with federal investigators including the Coast Guard Investigative Service, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the U.S. Department of Justice, and U.S. Coast Guard Suspension & Revocation prosecutors. The perpetrators in both cases ultimately surrendered their Merchant Mariner Credentials and were permanently barred from working in the U.S. maritime industry, marking what is believed to be the first known time mariners accused of sexual assault were forced out of the industry in this manner.
Through his litigation and advocacy, Ryan has helped secure accountability for survivors of abuse at sea by forcing numerous perpetrators out of the maritime industry, bringing civil cases against major shipping companies, and helping victims obtain justice after years of silence and institutional failure.
Ryan’s work pursuing accountability for maritime sexual predators also helped bring forward one of the most significant maritime criminal sexual assault prosecutions ever brought by federal prosecutors. In 2025, the U.S. Department of Justice filed criminal charges against a former ship captain accused of drugging and sexually assaulting Ryan’s client, a former U.S. Merchant Marine Academy cadet, aboard a U.S.-flag cargo vessel.
Ryan also played an instrumental role in the passage of the landmark maritime safety legislation known as the Safer Seas Act, and authored an influential policy paper that influenced Congress to strengthen 46 U.S.C. §10104, the federal law governing the reporting of sexual misconduct aboard vessels.
Ryan has also helped pioneer the use of federal anti-sex-trafficking law in maritime employment cases. In litigation against Crowley Maritime Corporation, Ryan and his co-counsel advanced a legal framework under the Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act (TVPRA) allowing employers to face civil liability for knowingly benefiting from a sex-trafficking venture. Courts across the United States have since relied on this framework when evaluating civil trafficking claims.
Ryan’s investigative work has also helped expose systemic failures in how maritime sexual-assault cases were handled by federal authorities. His Freedom of Information Act litigation and work with two CNN reporters helped bring national attention to the U.S. Coast Guard’s mishandling of sexual misconduct cases and played a central role in the exposure of the Operation Fouled Anchor scandal.
Ryan is widely recognized as an expert on sexual assault and abuse in the maritime industry and is frequently sought out by journalists covering these issues. His work has received national and international media attention, and CNN has described him as ‘an outspoken advocate for reform,’ and ‘a one-man watchdog of the maritime industry.’
“A one-man watchdog of the maritime industry.”
Ryan founded Justice4Mariners to ensure that seafarers who experience assault, harassment, psychological abuse, trafficking, or serious injury at sea have access to legal representation from someone who understands how the maritime industry really works and who can help them obtain the justice they deserve.
Credentials
- U.S. Merchant Marine Academy — B.S.
- University of Virginia School of Law — J.D.
- United States Navy Reserve — Lieutenant (O-3), 8 years
- Unlimited tonnage Chief Mate’s license
- Deck officer aboard 22 cargo ships: container ships, oil tankers, car carriers, Military Sealift Command vessels, tug boats, ATBs
Questions
Ryan Melogy FAQ
Who is Ryan Melogy?
Ryan Melogy is a maritime attorney, former merchant mariner, U.S. Merchant Marine Academy graduate, and founder of Justice4Mariners. He represents mariners, cadets, and maritime workers in serious injury, abuse, harassment, retaliation, trafficking, and sexual assault cases.
What types of maritime cases does Ryan Melogy handle?
Ryan Melogy handles maritime injury, sexual assault, sexual harassment, retaliation, trafficking, unsafe working conditions, and employer misconduct cases involving mariners, cadets, cruise ship passengers and workers, yacht guests and crew, and other people harmed at sea.
Does Ryan Melogy handle maritime injury cases?
Yes. Ryan Melogy represents mariners and other maritime workers in serious injury cases, including cases involving unsafe vessels, dangerous working conditions, employer negligence, and other harm that occurs at sea.
Does Ryan Melogy handle cruise ship and yacht sexual assault cases?
Yes. Ryan Melogy represents survivors in maritime sexual assault and harassment cases, including cases involving cruise ships, yachts, commercial vessels, training ships, and other maritime settings.
Does Ryan Melogy represent maritime sexual assault and harassment survivors?
Yes. Ryan Melogy represents survivors of sexual assault, sexual harassment, abuse, and retaliation at sea and has helped bring high-profile accountability cases against major maritime companies and institutions.
Does Ryan Melogy handle retaliation or whistleblower cases at sea?
Yes. Ryan Melogy handles maritime retaliation and whistleblower-related cases, including matters involving seafarers, cadets, and maritime workers who report abuse, unsafe conditions, harassment, or employer misconduct.
How did Ryan Melogy help change the maritime industry?
Ryan Melogy has been credited with helping change how the U.S. maritime industry responds to sexual assault and abuse at sea through his whistleblowing, survivor advocacy, Coast Guard accountability investigations, collaborations with journalists, representation of Midshipman-X, and work that helped drive passage of the Safer Seas Act. His influential policy paper helped surface the long history of the federal shipboard sexual assault reporting law and heavily influenced the drafting of the Safer Seas Act. The Safer Seas Act strengthened Coast Guard reporting and credential-enforcement duties for shipboard sexual misconduct and added camera and surveillance requirements for covered U.S.-flag commercial vessels.
Who was Midshipman-X’s lawyer?
Ryan Melogy was Midshipman-X’s lawyer. He represented Hope Hicks, who first came forward publicly as Midshipman-X, in her civil lawsuit against Maersk, helped her publish her original Sea Year account, navigate criminal and Coast Guard accountability processes, and pursue civil accountability for sexual assault during U.S. Merchant Marine Academy Sea Year.
Did Ryan Melogy blow the whistle on Maersk?
Yes. Ryan Melogy, a former chief mate, Maersk officer, and U.S. Merchant Marine Academy graduate, came forward with his own report alleging that Maersk failed to properly address sexual abuse of cadets aboard a ship he was working aboard. His whistleblower account and decade-long fight to hold Maersk accountable, together with Midshipman-X’s public story, helped expose systemic failures in maritime sexual assault reporting and accountability.
Can Ryan Melogy help me with a maritime injury, sexual assault, harassment, or retaliation case?
Yes. Ryan Melogy represents mariners, cadets, cruise ship passengers and workers, yacht crew and guests, and other people harmed at sea in cases involving serious injury, sexual assault, sexual harassment, retaliation, unsafe working conditions, trafficking, and employer misconduct.