Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore reaffirm commitment to free and safe Strait of Malacca

SINGAPORE, Aug 25 — Malaysia, Indonesia and Singapore reaffirmed their shared commitment to keep the Strait of Malacca and Singapore Strait free, open and safe for international shipping.

The commitment was made by the Malaysia Marine Department, Indonesia’s Directorate General of Sea Transportation, and the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) in a joint statement issued during 17th Co-operation Forum on Tuesday.

They underscored the importance of respecting navigational rights and freedoms both in principle and in practice, affirming the waterways are “Strait Used for International Navigation”, where the right of transit passage applies under the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) and customary international law.

Meanwhile, Singapore Transport Minister Jeffrey Siow said the Straits of Malacca and Singapore (SOMS) are a primary artery for global trade, with more than 100,000 vessels passing through the waterways each year.

They carry almost a quarter of global seaborne trade and almost a third of the world’s oil and gas supplies.

“Events in the West Asia this year reminded the world that open sea lanes can never be taken for granted.

“In our part of the world, we will endeavour to keep the Straits of Malacca and Singapore free, open and safe for international shipping,” he said during the opening of the forum.

Siow noted that the Cooperative Mechanism, formalised in 2007, stands as the first and only implementation of Article 43 of UNCLOS which calls on countries to cooperate on navigational safety and pollution prevention.

Through the Cooperative Mechanism, countries have turned shared interests into collective action in three key areas: anticipating risks early, regularly upgrading infrastructure, and responding collectively to incidents. — Bernama