U.S. Coast Guard restricts Madagascar ships

U.S. Coast Guard restricts Madagascar ships    The U.S. Coast Guard said it will impose conditions of entry on vessels arriving in the United States from Madagascar, with the exception of vessels coming from the East African country’s port of Toamasina.
   Under the 2002 Maritime Transportation Security Act, the Coast Guard assesses the effectiveness of overseas ports’ antiterrorism measures.
   In May 2007, the Coast Guard identified steps needed by Madagascar to improve its port antiterrorism measures. “To date, the United States cannot confirm that the identified deficiencies have been corrected,” the agency said.
   Effective Dec. 4, the Coast Guard said vessels making stops in Madagascar’s ports, except for Toamasina, during their last five port calls before coming to the United States must:
   ' Ensure that each access point to the ship is guarded and that the guards have total visibility of the exterior, both landside and waterside, while in a Madagascar port.
   ' Attempt to execute a Declaration of Security while in port in Madagascar.
   ' Log all security actions in the ship’s log and report all actions to the Coast Guard before arrival in U.S. waters.
   Based on the Coast Guard’s boarding or examination, vessels may be required to ensue that each access point of the ships is guarded by armed guards and that they have total visibility of exterior of the vessel while in U.S. ports.