80 FR 15800 - Imposition of Conditions of Entry for Certain Vessels Arriving to the United States From Yemen-Additional Ports

DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY
Coast Guard

Federal Register Volume 80, Issue 57 (March 25, 2015)

Conditions of entry are imposed on vessels arriving in U.S. waters from foreign ports that do not maintain effective anti-terrorism measures. In 2012, the Coast Guard announced the imposition of conditions of entry on vessels arriving from all ports in Yemen, except for the Ash Shihr Terminal, the Port of Hodeidah, and the Balhalf LNG Terminal. Today, the Coast Guard announces that conditions of entry will be imposed on vessels arriving from the Ash Shihr Terminal and the Port of Hodeidah. The 2012 exception remains in place for vessels arriving from the Balhalf LNG Terminal.

[Federal Register Volume 80, Number 57 (Wednesday, March 25, 2015)]
[Notices]
[Pages 15800-15801]
From the Federal Register Online  [www.thefederalregister.org]
[FR Doc No: 2015-06866]


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DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY

Coast Guard

[Docket No. USCG-2014-1074]


Imposition of Conditions of Entry for Certain Vessels Arriving to 
the United States From Yemen--Additional Ports

AGENCY: Coast Guard, DHS.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: Conditions of entry are imposed on vessels arriving in U.S. 
waters from foreign ports that do not maintain effective anti-terrorism 
measures. In 2012, the Coast Guard announced the imposition of 
conditions of entry on vessels arriving from all ports in Yemen, except 
for the Ash Shihr Terminal, the Port of Hodeidah, and the Balhalf LNG 
Terminal. Today, the Coast Guard announces that conditions of entry 
will be imposed on vessels arriving from the Ash Shihr Terminal and the 
Port of Hodeidah. The 2012 exception remains in place for vessels 
arriving from the Balhalf LNG Terminal.

DATES: The policy announced in this notice will become effective April 
8, 2015.

[[Page 15801]]


FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For information about this document 
call or email Michael Brown, International Port Security Evaluation 
Division, United States Coast Guard, telephone 202-372-1081. For 
information about viewing or submitting material to the docket, call 
Cheryl Collins, Program Manager, Docket Operations, telephone 202-366-
9826, or toll free 1-800-647-5527.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Discussion

    The authority for this notice is 5 U.S.C. 552(a), 46 U.S.C. 70110, 
and DHS Delegation No. 0170.1, para. II (97.f). As delegated, section 
70110 authorizes the Coast Guard to impose conditions of entry on 
vessels arriving in U.S. waters from ports that the Coast Guard has not 
found to maintain effective anti-terrorism measures.
    In 2012,\1\ the Coast Guard determined that all but three ports in 
the Republic of Yemen were not maintaining effective anti-terrorism 
measures, that Yemen presented significant risk of introducing 
instruments of terror into international maritime commerce, and that 
Yemen possessed significant deficiencies in its legal regime, 
designated authority oversight, access control, and cargo control. 
Therefore, the Coast Guard announced the imposition of conditions of 
entry on vessels arriving from any Yemeni port except the Ash Shihr 
Terminal, the Port of Hodeidah, or the Balhalf LNG Terminal.
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    \1\ 77 FR 53901 (Sep. 4, 2012).
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    The Coast Guard no longer finds that the Ash Shihr Terminal and the 
Port of Hodeidah are maintaining effective anti-terrorism measures. 
Therefore the Coast Guard is removing the exception for those ports. 
Vessels arriving from the Balhalf LNG Terminal will continue to be 
excepted from the conditions of entry outlined in this notice.
    Beginning April 8, 2015, the conditions of entry shown in Table 1 
will apply to any vessel that visited a non-excepted Yemeni port in its 
last five port calls.

     Table 2--Conditions of Entry for Vessels Visiting Yemeni Ports
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          No.                           Each vessel must:
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1......................  Implement measures per the vessel's security
                          plan equivalent to Security Level 2 while in a
                          port in the Republic of Yemen. As defined in
                          the ISPS Code and incorporated herein,
                          ``Security Level 2'' refers to the ``level for
                          which appropriate additional protective
                          security measures shall be maintained for a
                          period of time as a result of heightened risk
                          of a security incident.''
2......................  Ensure that each access point to the vessel is
                          guarded and that the guards have total
                          visibility of the exterior (both landside and
                          waterside) of the vessel while the vessel is
                          in ports in Yemen.
3......................  Guards may be provided by the vessel's crew;
                          however, additional crewmembers should be
                          placed on the vessel if necessary to ensure
                          that limits on maximum hours of work are not
                          exceeded and/or minimum hours of rest are met,
                          or provided by outside security forces
                          approved by the vessel's master and Company
                          Security Officer. As defined in the ISPS Code
                          and incorporated herein, ``Company Security
                          Officer'' refers to the ``person designated by
                          the Company for ensuring that a ship security
                          assessment is carried out; that a ship
                          security plan is developed, submitted for
                          approval, and thereafter implemented and
                          maintained and for liaison with port facility
                          security officers and the ship security
                          officer.''
4......................  Attempt to execute a Declaration of Security
                          while in a port in Yemen;
5......................  Log all security actions in the vessel's
                          security records; and
6......................  Report actions taken to the cognizant Coast
                          Guard Captain of the Port (COTP) prior to
                          arrival into U.S. waters.
7......................  In addition, based on the findings of the Coast
                          Guard boarding or examination, the vessel may
                          be required to ensure that each access point
                          to the vessel is guarded by armed, private
                          security guards and that they have total
                          visibility of the exterior (both landside and
                          waterside) of the vessel while in U.S. ports.
                          The number and position of the guards has to
                          be acceptable to the cognizant COTP prior to
                          the vessel's arrival.
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    The following countries currently do not maintain effective anti-
terrorism measures and are therefore subject to conditions of entry: 
Cambodia, Cameroon, Comoros, Cote d'Ivoire, Cuba, Equatorial Guinea, 
Guinea-Bissau, Iran, Liberia, Madagascar, Nigeria, Sao Tome and 
Principe, Syria, Timor-Leste, Venezuela, and Yemen. This list is also 
available in a policy notice available at https://homeport.uscg.mil 
under the Maritime Security tab; International Port Security Program 
(ISPS Code); Port Security Advisory link.

    Dated: March 17, 2015.
Charles D. Michel,
Vice Admiral, USCG, Deputy Commandant for Operations.
[FR Doc. 2015-06866 Filed 3-24-15; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 9110-04-P