Additional security measures for vessels arriving from Cuba

20 Mar 2025 / United States

From 2 April, any vessel arriving from Cuba (excluding U.S. Naval Station Guantanamo Bay) must take additional security measures while in the country and may need to undergo a US Coast Guard security inspection prior to entering a U.S. port.

As stated in the U.S Department of Homeland Security United States Coast Guard Port Security Advisory (1-25) dated 19 March 2025, after visiting ports in Cuba as one of their last five ports of call, commercial vessels must take the actions listed below as a condition of entry into U.S. ports:

  1. Vessels with approved security plans must implement measures equivalent to Security Level 2. Those without security plans should take appropriate precautions to safeguard themselves while in port, including designated port anchorages.

  2. Ensure each access point to the vessel 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 vessel’s crew, however, additional crewmembers should be placed on the vessel 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 vessel’s master and Company Security Officer.

  3. Attempt to execute a Declaration of Security;

  4. Log all security actions in the vessel’s security records;

  5. Report actions taken to the cognizant U.S. Coast Guard Captain of the Port prior to arrival in the U.S.

This comes after the addition of Cuba to the list of countries where the US Coast Guard has determined are not maintaining effective anti-terrorism measures in their ports. This list also includes, with some exceptions:

  • Cambodia
  • Cameroon
  • Comoros
  • Cuba
  • Djibouti
  • Equatorial Guinea
  • Federated States of Micronesia
  • The Gambia
  • Guinea-Bissau
  • Iran
  • Iraq
  • Libya
  • Madagascar
  • Nauru
  • Nigeria
  • Sao Tome and Principe
  • Seychelles
  • Sudan
  • Syria
  • Timor-Leste
  • Venezuela
  • Yemen

Vessels that visited the above during their last five port calls will be boarded or examined by the Coast Guard to ensure the vessel took the required actions. Failure to do so may result in delay or denial of entry into the United States. They may also be required to ensure that each access point to the vessel is guarded by armed security guards and that they have total visibility of the exterior (both landside and waterside) of the vessel while in U.S. ports. The number and location of the guards must be acceptable to the U.S. Coast Guard Captain of the Port. For those vessels that have demonstrated good security compliance and can document that they took the measures called for, the armed security guard requirement will normally be waived.

For further details, as well as information about operations in the United States, contact GAC North America at [email protected]

If quoting any content from Hot Port News, please cite GAC Hot Port News as the source.

More Hot Port News

20 Mar 2025

Mumbai, India

Dredging at ID outer berths
The second and final round of dredging at BPX & BPS is tentatively scheduled from 30 March to 1 April.
Read More

19 Mar 2025

Bosphorus, Turkey

Traffic suspended after engine failure
Vessel traffic in the Bosphorus was suspended in both directions on at 15:38 hours local time today (19 March) .
Read More

19 Mar 2025

Buckeye Bahamas, Hub, Bahamas

Terminal reopened
Buckeye Bahamas Hub terminal reopened at 19:00 hours local time today (19 March).
Read More