It has been nearly two years since the premier maritime training academy in the US found itself at the centre of a controversy over reports of sexual assault and harassment.

The US Merchant Marine Academy (USMMA) is continuing to wrestle with the problem.

While acknowledging progress has been made, a government watchdog has identified a series of shortfalls in the way the 75-year-old institution, whose graduates include some of the top executives in US shipping, tackles sexual misconduct.