The United States has withdrawn their maritime safety exemptions from the ports of Douala and Kribi, imposing strengthened controls on ships that have stopped in Cameroon from February 25, 2026.
The United States Coast Guard (USCG) has officially hardened the tone towards Cameroon. Through a port security notice consulted by EcoMatin, the US administration lifts the exemptions enjoyed by the ports of Douala and Kribi, due to « security standards deemed insufficient ». Thus, as of February 25, 2026, any ship that has stopped at these two platforms during its last five rotations will have to apply enhanced security measures before docking in the United States, under penalty of delays, increased inspections, or even refusal of entry.
Specifically, the shipowners concerned will have to activate level 2 of the ISPS Code, strengthen access control on board and deploy armed private security officers at each boarding point. They will also have to notify the « Captain of the Port » of the USCG of the arrangements taken. These requirements, based on the Maritime Transportation Security Act, are part of a global context of combating maritime threats, illicit trafficking and sanctions circumvention strategies. For Cameroon, whose significant part of exports (hydrocarbons, wood, cocoa, aluminum) pass through these two infrastructures, the American decision introduces a reputational risk and a significant additional logistics cost.
This surveillance comes as the Douala port is just coming out of a major crisis related to the scanning of goods. The dispute between the Autonomous Port of Douala (PAD) and the incumbent operator Société Générale de Surveillance (SGS), initially replaced by Transatlantic D. SA, had paralyzed customs clearance operations for several weeks. Double invoicing, contractual litigation and logistical blockages had resulted in losses estimated at several billion FCFA for manufacturers, arousing the anger of the Groupement des Entreprises du Cameroun (GECAM).
Faced with the risk of a surge in prices and a deterioration in the image of the port hub, Prime Minister Joseph Dion Ngute ordered at the end of January the immediate restoration of the SGS in its contractual rights, recalling the primacy of international commitments of the state. If a cohabitation solution SGS – Transatlantic D. SA has since been found by the general manager of the PAD Cyrus Ngo’o to relaunch scanning and aim for the objective of « 100% control », Washington’s warning underlines the persistent fragility of the Cameroonian security system. Because beyond technical compliance, it is now the credibility of the Cameroonian maritime corridor on international markets that is at stake.
source : eco matin
