WASHINGTON (Reuters), – U.S. lawmakers urged Wednesday the Transportation Department for action in response to persistent accusations of rape and sexual assault made at government’s principal school for merchant seafarers by midshipmen.

According to lawmakers, a toxic culture had enabled sexual abuse at the U.S. to flourish and remain unchallenged. Merchant Marine Academy, which is affiliated with shipping companies to provide training for new marine recruits.

Senator Maria Cantwell, who chairs the Commerce Committee, said in a letter to the Maritime Administration (MARAD) that numerous alleged incidents occurred during midshipmen’s “Sea Year,” where sophomore and junior midshipmen spend part of their academic year at sea working on primarily private merchant marine vessels learning firsthand skills.

Cantwell said that “many of these allegations involve a repetition of crimes and intimidations perpetrated by people in positions power and responsibility on merchant ship, and includes alleged poor oversight and policy failures of Coast Guard investigators as well as USMMA officials.”

House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure chair Peter DeFazio and Salud Carbajal, chair of the Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation subcommitte, said in a joint statement “this pattern of abuse in the maritime industry and the Sea Year program in particular has gone on far too long — we must reform the toxic culture that has allowed this problem to fester, and not stop until our seas are safe for everyone.”

A.P., the largest shipping company in the world, has been suspended five employees. Moller-Maersk suspended five employees in an investigation into a sex assault that took place on a ship owned by A.P.

Unidentified cadet claimed in a blog that she was 19, a virgin, when she was sexually assaulted by the 60-year old 1st Engineer on board Maersk’s ship, during Sea Year.

Maersk Line Limited (MLL), an American-based subsidiary to the A.P. Moller-Maersk, a Moller-Maersk organization, works with the U.S. government for military, government, and humanitarian missions. It has trained 732 Cadets since 2017 in the Sea Year program.

MARAD spokeswoman said that the agency knew about the alleged rape and added that USMMA had referred the matter to Coast Guard on September 28.

A spokesperson said that USMMA has zero tolerance for harassment and sexual assault.

Coast Guard stated that it is aware of an allegation regarding sexual assault on a U.S. flagged commercial cargo vessel. It is now investigating.