Condition of entry into the US ports under the Maritime Transportation Security Act (MTSA)
The Maritime Transportation Security Act of 2002 (MTSA) has mandated the United States Coast Guard to evaluate the effectiveness of anti-terrorism measures in foreign ports and to impose conditions of entry on vessels arriving to the United States from countries that do not maintain effective anti-terrorism measures.
The Coast Guard evaluated the anti-terrorism measures in Cambodia and has decided that the Phnom Penh Autonomous Port and the Sihanoukville Autonomous Port in Cambodia, which had been previously exempted from the conditions of entry, were no longer maintaining effective anti-terrorism measures and, therefore, that conditions of entry were imposed to vessels arriving to the United States on or after 26 September 2014 from these two ports as well as other Cambodian ports as one of their last five ports of call. The details of the required actions and the list of the countries which are subject to conditions of entry can be found in the attached “Port Security Advisory (3-14)” dated 15 September, 2014 issued by the USCG.
Members, whose vessels arriving to the United States after calling the countries listed in the Port Security Advisory, are recommended to consult with the local agents about the required actions mentioned in the section C and D of the Port Security Advisory so that they are not involved in any unnecessary troubles.