US Imposes Entry Conditions on Vessels Operating at Somali Ports

The United States Coast Guard imposed entry conditions on commercial vessels arriving in US waters after having called at ports in Somalia, after determining that the African country does not maintain effective anti-terrorism measures at its port facilities. The measure took effect on October 27, 2026.

The decision was incorporated into the Coast Guard's Port Security Advisory under the Maritime Transportation Security Act, which authorizes the Department of Homeland Security to set conditions of entry for vessels arriving from foreign ports that do not meet anti-terrorism standards, and even to deny them entry. The advisory was published in the Federal Register under docket USCG-2026-0110, document 2026-21865, and was signed by Vice Admiral Nathan A. Moore, Deputy Commandant for Operations of the US Coast Guard. With Somalia's addition, the list of countries deemed to lack effective anti-terrorism measures at their ports now stands at 24.

Under the current Port Security Advisory framework, vessels that have called at a listed country during their last five port calls must implement additional security measures. Those with approved security plans must implement measures equivalent to Security Level 2, while those without such plans must adopt appropriate precautions. Obligations include monitoring all access points with visibility toward the shoreside and seaside approaches, attempting to execute a Declaration of Security, logging the measures taken and reporting them to the relevant Coast Guard Captain of the Port before arriving in the United States. Vessels may be boarded or inspected to verify compliance, and failure to implement these measures can result in delays or denial of entry; following an inspection, armed guards may also be required at access points, though this requirement is often waived when satisfactory compliance is demonstrated.

Somalia joins a list that includes Cambodia, Cameroon, Comoros, Cuba, North Korea, Equatorial Guinea, Gambia, Guinea-Bissau, Haiti, Iran, Iraq, Libya, Madagascar, Micronesia, Nauru, São Tomé and Príncipe, Seychelles, Sudan, Suriname, Syria, Timor-Leste, Venezuela and Yemen. In August, the Coast Guard had removed Nigeria from the list after determining that its ports did maintain effective anti-terrorism measures, while Haiti had been added in June, and exemptions previously in place for port facilities in Cameroon, Iraq, Madagascar and Equatorial Guinea were revoked.

The measure is separate from maritime warnings about piracy and attacks on vessels in the Gulf of Aden and the western Indian Ocean, where incidents involving armed groups continued to be reported in 2026, including the hijacking of a cargo vessel by eight armed individuals near Mareeyo in August. Separately, the International Maritime Organization held a workshop on port security and inter-agency coordination in Bosaso, Puntland state, from September 14 to 17, aimed at implementing the ISPS Code and promoting information sharing among authorities.