US Coast Guard imposes entry conditions on ships arriving from Haitian ports

The US Coast Guard has imposed Conditions of Entry (COE) on vessels that have called at Haitian ports before presenting themselves in US waters, effective June 22, 2026, according to Le Nouvelliste, citing an advisory published in the Federal Register on June 5, 2026. The measure is justified by the determination that Haiti does not maintain 'effective anti-terrorism measures' in its port facilities, based on the non-implementation of the international ISPS security code observed since September 2025. The decision places Haiti on a list of 24 countries deemed non-compliant, alongside Cuba, Iran, North Korea and Sudan. The COE requires ships to adopt at least ISPS Level 2 (reinforced) security during their Haitian stopover — including guarded access points, deck patrols and identity checks — and to document that compliance on arrival in the US; armed guarding may be imposed. The advisory targets 'the Republic of Haiti' and 'its ports' without distinction. The Coast Guard cited operational findings including Haiti's inability to prevent unauthorized port access and the introduction of weapons. Le Nouvelliste notes port zones are plagued by extortion and crew kidnappings; two sailors, one Turkish and one Russian, were abducted on May 1, 2026, aboard a vessel anchored in Port-au-Prince. The measure follows the May 2025 US designation of the gang coalition Viv Ansanm as a Foreign Terrorist Organization.