A new congressionally mandated National Academies of Science, Engineering & Medicine report, Strengthening Alcohol Policies and Supporting Safety and Health in the Maritime Industry, co-authored by Dr. Martha Grabowski and the members of the National Academies’ consensus study committee on Alcohol at Sea, and sponsored by the U.S. Coast Guard, calls for the prohibition of alcohol possession and use by crew on ships registered in the United States and systemic reforms to prevent interpersonal violence, including sexual misconduct, and to improve mariner health and well-being.
The report examines how alcohol and other substance use, workplace culture, leadership, and policy environments interact to shape safety and well-being at sea. The report offers actionable recommendations for the U.S. Department of Transportation, the U.S. Coast Guard, the maritime industry and stakeholders to modernize alcohol and drug policies, strengthen prevention and response to sexual misconduct, improve data collection, support mariner health and well-being, and reinforce leadership accountability. Together, these insights provide a roadmap for fostering safer, healthier, and more supportive conditions across the maritime workforce, helping position the industry for long-term strength and sustainability. The report was briefed to Congress and to the U.S. Coast Guard in January 2026 and is aimed at changing federal regulations and improving the safety culture within the maritime workplace. Copies of the Alcohol at Sea report can be downloaded for free here.
Committee members met over 18 months, gathering and analyzing data and evidence, soliciting expert perspectives and experience, interviewing maritime experts during a commercial ship visit, and developing a prototype questionnaire to gather information about the use and misuse of alcohol in safety-critical systems, including maritime transportation. The committee comprised experts in mental health and substance use and misuse, public health, maritime safety and other safety-critical systems, organizational behavior and systems, maritime regulations, and included members with seagoing experience.
Dr. Grabowski has chaired, co-chaired or served on 12 National Academies consensus studies for various federal agencies, on topics such as the nation’s readiness to combat catastrophic Arctic oil spills; global and U.S. tsunami readiness; shipboard manning policies and ship’s piloting; the use of simulation in shipboard training; the future of naval engineering; and challenges facing the U.S. Coast Guard in the 21st century
