The United States Coast Guard (USCG) is to impose conditions of entry on vessels arriving in US waters from ports in the Republic of Seychelles.
As explained, conditions of entry are intended “to protect the United States from vessels arriving from countries that have been found to have deficient anti-terrorism port measures in place.”
Beginning April 12, 2019, the conditions of entry will apply to any vessel that visited a port in the Republic of Seychelles in its last five port calls.
In April last year, the USCG found that ports in the Republic of Seychelles failed to maintain effective anti-terrorism measures and that the country’s designated authority’s oversight, access control measures, cargo control measures, and facility monitoring measures were all deficient.
Seychelles was notified of this determination in May 2018. The USCG provided recommendations for improving antiterrorism measures and gave 90 days to the country to respond.
However, the coast guard subsequently determined that Seychelles failed to maintain effective anti-terrorism measures in its ports.
The USCG data shows that, apart from Seychelles, the following countries are also subject to conditions of entry: Cambodia, Cameroon, Comoros, Côte d’Ivoire, Equatorial Guinea, The Gambia, Guinea-Bissau, Iran, Iraq, Liberia, Libya, Madagascar, Micronesia, Nauru, Nigeria, Sao Tome and Principe, Syria, Timor-Leste, Venezuela, and Yemen.