The U.S. Coast Guard has removed Conditions of Entry on vessels arriving from Cuba, the USCG said Thursday in its news release.
Following a comprehensive assessment, the United States Coast Guard has determined that Cuba meets the International Ship and Port Facility Security (ISPS) Code requirements established by the International Maritime Organization (IMO) and has effective security measures in their ports. Vessels arriving to the U.S. are no longer required to employ additional security measures while in Cuban ports.
Conditions of Entry related to Cuban ports were originally imposed in 2008.
All U.S. immigration policies remain unchanged and the Office of Foreign Assets Control travel restrictions remain in effect. Furthermore, the governing regulations titled “Unauthorized Entry to Cuba” contained in 33 CFR 107.200 also remain in effect.
The full notice on the removal of these conditions of entry will be published in the Federal Register.
The United States Coast Guard (USCG) is a branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the country's seven uniformed services. The Coast Guard is a maritime, military, multi-mission service unique among the U.S. military branches for having a maritime law enforcement mission.