US Coast Guard tightens entry rules for ships calling at Somali ports

The US Coast Guard has imposed conditions of entry on vessels arriving in the United States from ports in the Federal Republic of Somalia after determining that the country is “not maintaining effective antiterrorism measures in its ports”. The measure took effect on 27 October 2026.

The Coast Guard added Somalia to its Port Security Advisory under the Maritime Transportation Security Act, bringing the number of countries currently assessed as not maintaining effective antiterrorism measures to 24. The notice was issued under docket USCG-2026-0110, Federal Register document 2026-21865, and was signed by Vice Admiral Nathan A. Moore, US Coast Guard deputy commandant for operations.

US law allows the Department of Homeland Security to prescribe conditions of entry for vessels arriving from foreign ports that have not been found to maintain effective antiterrorism measures and to deny entry to vessels that fail to meet those conditions.

Under the Coast Guard’s established Port Security Advisory framework, US-bound vessels that have visited an affected country during their last five port calls are required to take additional security measures while at those ports.

Ships with approved security plans must implement measures equivalent to Security Level 2, while vessels without such plans are required to take appropriate security precautions.

The standing framework also requires vessels to guard each access point with visibility of both the landside and waterside exterior of the ship, attempt to execute a Declaration of Security, record security measures in the vessel’s security records and report the actions taken to the relevant US Coast Guard Captain of the Port before arriving in the United States.

Vessels may be boarded or examined by the Coast Guard to verify compliance. Failure to implement the required measures may result in delay or denial of entry. Following an examination, the Coast Guard can also require armed guards at vessel access points while a ship is in a US port, although the standing advisory says that requirement will normally be waived for vessels able to demonstrate and document satisfactory security compliance.

The Coast Guard’s public International Port Security Program page was still displaying Port Security Advisory 4-26, dated 19 August 2026, as its latest separately posted advisory when checked following the Somalia notice.

Somalia joins Cambodia, Cameroon, Comoros, Cuba, North Korea, Equatorial Guinea, The Gambia, Guinea-Bissau, Haiti, Iran, Iraq, Libya, Madagascar, Micronesia, Nauru, Sao Tome and Principe, Seychelles, Sudan, Suriname, Syria, Timor-Leste, Venezuela and Yemen on the current US list.

The Coast Guard had removed Nigeria from the advisory on 19 August after determining that the Federal Republic of Nigeria was maintaining effective antiterrorism measures in its ports.

Separately, the International Maritime Organization held a port-security and inter-agency coordination workshop in Bosaso, Puntland State of Somalia, from 14 to 17 September.

The programme brought together port, security and government authorities and focused on implementation of the International Ship and Port Facility Security Code, information sharing and coordinated responses to security incidents.