Malacca States Vow to Keep Asia’s Busiest Shipping Route Open

The three states in the Strait of Malacca, the vital shipping lane into Asia, have pledged to keep the world’s busiest maritime thoroughfare free and open to vessels amid the ongoing crisis in the Strait of Hormuz in the Middle East. Indonesia, Malaysia, and Singapore on Tuesday reaffirmed in a joint statement their “shared commitment to keep the Straits open and safe for international shipping.” The Strait of Malacca is the shortest route from the Middle East to Asia and is vital for commodity traffic, including of crude oil and refined petroleum products.

The Strait of Malacca has been closely monitored since the war in Iran began at the end of February and Iran closed the Strait of Hormuz, trapping millions of barrels of oil supply in the Persian Gulf. Indonesia, Malaysia, and Singapore, the so-called Littoral States of the Straits of Malacca, affirmed the status of the Straits of Malacca and Singapore (SOMS) “as a Strait Used for International Navigation, where the right of transit passage applies, as enshrined in the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) and reflected in customary international law.” The countries also said that it is important that all stakeholders respect “navigational rights and freedoms both in principle and practice.” “Events in the Middle East this year reminded the world that open sea lanes can never be taken for granted,” Jeffrey Siow, Singapore’s Transport Minister, said at an Indonesia-Malaysia-Singapore forum. Traffic at the Strait of Hormuz has crumbled to less than a tenth compared to pre-war levels, with estimates hard to come by amid continued dark activity from tankers to avoid detection and becoming targets of attacks.

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