Nigeria says the United States has lifted a 12-year-old maritime security restriction that required vessels calling at most Nigerian ports to meet additional security conditions before entering US waters.
Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, Adegboyega Oyetola announced the development on Tuesday, saying the decision followed improvements in Nigeria's port security and compliance with the International Ship and Port Facility Security (ISPS) Code.
But the announcement has yet to be independently confirmed by the US Coast Guard.
The latest US government travel guidance available before the announcement said most Nigerian ports were still subject to additional US Coast Guard conditions of entry.
It said vessels arriving in US ports from most Nigerian ports had to meet those requirements.
That creates an important verification point for shipping operators and other businesses that may be affected by the reported change.
What has changed?
According to the Nigerian government, the US Coast Guard has removed the Condition of Entry (CoE) that applied to vessels arriving in the United States after calling at designated Nigerian ports.
The restriction was introduced in 2014 after the US Coast Guard concluded that ports in Nigeria were not maintaining effective anti-terrorism measures.
In its June 2014 notice, the US Coast Guard said the measure was not a trade sanction and did not ban Nigerian ships from entering US ports.
Instead, affected vessels had to take additional security measures while at non-exempt Nigerian port facilities.
The restriction therefore increased the security and administrative requirements facing vessels that had recently called at affected Nigerian ports.
The Nigerian government says those additional requirements will now no longer apply if the reported lifting takes effect as announced.
Why was the restriction imposed?
The US Coast Guard's Condition of Entry programme is designed to address security risks associated with foreign ports that do not maintain effective anti-terrorism measures.
US Coast Guard guidance says the programme is intended to reduce the risk of terrorism and the movement of weapons of mass destruction into the United States.
The 2014 Nigerian restriction followed a US assessment that ports in the country were not maintaining effective anti-terrorism measures, although some ports were exempted.
The decision was therefore primarily about port security rather than a conventional trade barrier.
Nigeria points to four recent assessments
Oyetola said the US Coast Guard conducted four assessments of Nigeria's maritime security framework and port facilities over the past two years.
The assessments took place in March and April 2024, March 2025 and April 2026, according to the minister.
He said the assessments showed improvements in Nigeria's implementation of the ISPS Code and contributed to the reported decision to remove the restriction.
The minister credited the Federal Ministry of Marine and Blue Economy, the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), other government agencies, port and terminal operators, shipping companies and other maritime stakeholders.
There is independent evidence that US Coast Guard officials continued to assess Nigerian port security earlier this year.
In March, reports said a US Coast Guard team was inspecting Nigerian facilities as part of efforts to assess compliance with the ISPS Code and potentially secure the removal of the Condition of Entry.
A separate April report quoted US Coast Guard official Bryan Ullmer as saying Nigeria had made significant improvements, while NIMASA Director-General Dayo Mobereola said further work was required to secure the complete removal of the restriction.
That makes the reported August announcement potentially significant, but it also means the exact status of the US measure should be confirmed against the Coast Guard's current advisory.
Oyetola: 'A major milestone'Oyetola described the reported lifting as a major achievement for Nigeria's maritime sector.
“The lifting of the Conditions of Entry is a major milestone for Nigeria’s maritime sector.
It is a strong affirmation of the progress we have made in strengthening maritime security and implementing the ISPS Code across our ports and facilities,”
He added: “We are committed to sustaining this momentum and ensuring that Nigeria remains a safe, secure and competitive destination for international shipping.”
The minister also praised NIMASA Director-General Dayo Mobereola and his team for their contribution.
Those comments are the government's assessment of the significance of the development.
They do not, by themselves, establish that shipping costs or port traffic have already improved.
Who could benefit?
If the restriction has in fact been removed, vessels calling at Nigerian ports before travelling to the US could face fewer additional security procedures.
That could reduce some administrative and operational costs and make scheduling easier for shipping companies.
The Nigerian government also expects the change to improve the attractiveness of Nigerian ports and encourage more shipping activity.
For importers and exporters, any reduction in vessel delays or operating costs could eventually affect freight rates and the reliability of cargo movements.
However, those benefits should not be assumed to happen automatically.Port charges, congestion, customs procedures, infrastructure, security, insurance costs and global freight-market conditions also influence the cost of moving goods through Nigerian ports.
A 12-year-old problem
The US restriction has its roots in June 2014.
At the time, the US Coast Guard said it had determined that Nigerian ports, apart from specified exceptions, were no longer maintaining effective anti-terrorism measures.
The restriction remained part of US maritime security policy for years.
Indeed, US government documents published as recently as 2025 still listed Nigeria among countries whose ports were assessed as not maintaining effective anti-terrorism measures.
The contrast with the Nigerian government's latest announcement is therefore important.
It suggests that, if the US has now formally removed Nigeria from the list, the decision would represent a substantial change in Washington's assessment of the country's port-security arrangements.
What happens next?
The immediate issue is confirmation.
Shipping companies, terminal operators and other maritime businesses will need to know whether the US Coast Guard has formally amended its Port Security Advisory and when the new position takes effect.
That matters because the US Coast Guard's rules govern the conditions vessels must meet when entering US waters.
The Nigerian government says the lifting will improve vessel turnaround, reduce additional security-related costs and strengthen the country's position in international shipping.
Those claims will ultimately need to be measured against actual shipping data.
The key indicators will include vessel traffic, turnaround times, freight costs, insurance premiums and the number of shipping services using Nigerian ports.
For now, the reported decision is an important development in Nigeria's long-running effort to improve international confidence in its ports.
But its full commercial impact will depend on the formal US position and whether the promised gains translate into measurable changes for shipping operators and Nigerian businesses.
