The US Coast Guard has added Somalia to its list of countries with weak port security. It says Somali ports do not have effective measures against terrorism. The rule started on 27 October 2026. The Coast Guard announced it in the US Federal Register, the official journal of the US government.
Ships that visited a Somali port in their last five port calls now face extra conditions before they can enter US ports. This is true even if the ship called at other ports after Somalia.
With Somalia, the list now has 24 countries. They include Iran, Yemen, Libya, Sudan, Syria, Venezuela, Cuba, Haiti and Cambodia. The notice does not name single Somali ports. It does not say what the security problems are.
What ships must do in Somali ports
The Coast Guard lists the steps in its Port Security Advisory. This is the same list it uses for all countries on the list. The June 2026 version of the advisory says a ship must do these five things while it is in the affected country:
Ships with an approved ship security plan must use measures equal to Security Level 2. Security Level 2 is the higher level under the ISPS Code, the International Ship and Port Facility Security Code. Ships without a security plan should take suitable care, also at anchorages.
Guard every access point to the ship, such as the gangway. The guards must be able to see the whole outside of the ship, on the land side and the water side.
Try to complete a Declaration of Security. This is a signed agreement between the ship and the port on who does which security tasks.
Write all security actions in the ship's security records.
Report the actions to the US Coast Guard Captain of the Port before the ship arrives in the US. The Captain of the Port is the Coast Guard officer in charge of a US port area.
The guards can be crew members. But the advisory says to add extra crew if needed. This is so that work-hour limits and minimum rest hours are kept. The guards can also come from outside security firms approved by the master and the Company Security Officer.
What can happen in the US
The Coast Guard may board or inspect ships that called in Somalia. If the ship did not take the steps, it may be delayed or refused entry to the US.
The Coast Guard can also order armed guards at the ship's access points while it is in a US port. It normally does not ask for this if the ship can show records that it took the required steps.
This rule is about port security on land. It is separate from the warnings about piracy and attacks at sea near Somalia, Splash247 notes. In August 2026 the Coast Guard took Nigeria off the list, Somalia Today reports.
What it means for crews
Your ship may call in Somalia and later go to the US. Then ask the master or the Ship Security Officer about the security plan for the call.
Expect more gangway and deck watches in Somali ports. Every person coming on board should be checked.
Write every security action in the records at the time it happens. Good records can save the ship from delays or armed guards in the US.
Extra watches must not break your rest hours. If you cannot get your minimum rest, tell the master. The advisory itself says extra crew should be added if needed.
Remember that a Somali call counts for your next five port calls, not only the next one.
Cover photo: A mooring bollard on the quay at the port of Mogadishu, Somalia, with a cargo ship behind, September 2015. Illustrative photo. Photo: AMISOM Public Information, Wikimedia Commons, CC0 (cropped).
Sources: US Federal Register, 27 Oct 2026: Notification of the Imposition of Conditions of Entry on Vessels Arriving from Somalia, US Coast Guard Port Security Advisory 3-26 (5 June 2026, copy published by the Liberian Registry, PDF), US Coast Guard: International Port Security Program, current Port Security Advisory, Splash247, 29 Oct 2026: US tightens entry rules for ships calling at Somali ports, Somalia Today, 30 Oct 2026: US imposes entry conditions on ships calling at Somali ports.
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