USCG applies conditions of entry on vessels from Gambia

The U.S. Coast Guard outlined the conditions of entry, which will be applied to any vessel that has called Gambia within its last five port calls before entering the United States, to go into effect July 6.    The United States Coast Guard announced Monday that beginning July 6, it will impose conditions of entry on vessels arriving from the Republic of Gambia.
   Conditions of entry will be applied to any vessel that has called Gambia within its last five port calls before entering the United States.
   The Coast Guard said in a statement the primary reason for the conditions is that Gambia’s anti-terrorism measures on access control and cargo control are deficient.
   The seven conditions, published in the Federal Register, involve higher security measures for vessels while they are moored up in Gambia. Vessels in Gambia will be required to have a guard stationed at each access point. In addition, all security actions must be logged and reported to the cognizant Coast Guard Captain of the Port before arriving in U.S. waters. Vessels may also be required to have each access point guarded while in U.S. ports, the Coast Guard said.
   Other countries that have conditions of entry applied to them due to their anti-terrorism standards include Cambodia, Cameroon, Comoros, Cote d’Ivoire, Cuba, Equatorial Guinea, the Republic of the Gambia, Guinea-Bissau, Iran, Liberia, Libya, Madagascar, Nigeria, Sao Tome and Principe, Syria, Timor-Leste, Venezuela and Yemen.