US adds Cuba to security list

US adds Cuba to security list

The Maritime Transportation Security Act of 2002 (MTSA) has mandated that the United States Coast Guard evaluate the effectiveness of anti-terrorism measures in foreign ports and provides for the imposition of conditions of entry on vessels arriving to the United States from countries that do not maintain effective anti-terrorism measures.

Cuba is the most recent country the Coast Guard has determined to be not maintaining effective anti-terrorism measures.
The Coast Guard has determined that ports in the following countries are not maintaining effective anti-terrorism measures:

- CUBA (Effective 18 April 2008)
- CAMEROON (with the exception of the Ebome Marine Terminal, the Quai GETMA (LAMNALCO Base) facility, and the Société Nationale de Raffinage (SONARA)
terminal)
- EQUATORIAL GUINEA (with the exception of the ports of Ceiba, K-5, Luba, Punta Europa, and Zafiro)
- GUINEA-BISSAU
- INDONESIA (with the exception of Banjarmasin Port; Belawan Multi-Purpose Terminal; Caltex Oil Terminal Dumai; Jakarta International Container Terminal; Pelindo II Conventional Terminal Jakarta; Pertamina Unit Pengolahan II Dumai; Pertamina Unit Pengolahan V Balikpapan; PT Badak Bontang Natural Gas Liquefaction; PT Indominco Mandiri Bontang [Bontang Coal Terminal]; PT Multimas Nabati Asaha; PT Pelabuhan Indonesia I Cabang Dumai; PT Pertamina Unit Pemasaran III Jakarta; PT Pupuk Kaltim Bontang; PT Terminal Petikemas Surabaya; Semarang International Container Terminal; and Senipah Terminal Total E&P Indonesia Balikpapan)
- IRAN (Effective 03 April 2008)
- LIBERIA
- MAURITANIA (with the exception of the Chinguetti Terminal)
- SYRIA

All vessels arriving to the United States that visited the countries listed [above] (with exceptions noted) during their last five port calls must take actions 1 through 5 listed below while in the countries listed in paragraph B as a condition of entry into U.S. ports:
1. Implement measures per the ship's security plan equivalent to Security Level 2;
2. Ensure that each access point to the ship is guarded and that the guards have total visibility of the exterior (both landside and waterside) of the vessel. Guards may be:
- provided by the ship's crew, however, additional crewmembers should be placed on the ship if necessary to ensure that limits on maximum hours of work are not exceeded and/or minimum hours of rest are met, or provided by outside security forces approved by the ship's master and Company Security Officer.
3. Attempt to execute a Declaration of Security;
4. Log all security actions in the ship's log;
and
5. Report actions taken to the cognizant U.S. Coast Guard Captain of the Port prior to arrival in the U.S.
Vessels that visited the countries listed in paragraph B (with exceptions noted) during their last five port calls will be boarded at sea by the Coast Guard to ensure the vessel took the required actions. Failure to properly implement the actions listed [above], will result in denial of entry into the United States.

However, vessels that visited Monrovia, Liberia during their last five port calls prior to entering the United States will not normally be boarded at sea by the Coast Guard unless other targeting factors apply, nor will these vessels be required to provide armed security guards while in ports of the United States.
While in U.S. ports, all vessels subject to conditions of entry [listed above] are required to ensure that each access point to the ship is guarded by armed security guards and that they have total visibility of the exterior (both landside and waterside) of the vessel. The number and location of the guards must be acceptable to the cognizant U.S. Coast Guard Captain of the Port.

However, the requirement to ensure that each access point to the ship is guarded by armed security guards does not apply to vessels that visited Monrovia, Liberia during their last five port calls prior to entering the United Sates.

Vessels arriving from the following countries remain subject to increased port state control targeting, including at sea boardings:

- DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF THE CONGO
- MADAGASCAR (with the exception of the ports of Diego-Suarez, Majunga, and
Toamasina)
While not required as a condition of entry, if a vessel takes the steps outlined [above], the vessel's security posture will be considered and reflected in the scope, intensity and duration of the Port State Control measures. Taking these steps does not guarantee vessels will not be subject to additional measures.

Source: U.S. Coast Guard Port Security Advisory

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