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Littoral states move closer for Strait of Malacca security
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| 25 April 2006 |
Littoral states move closer for Strait of Malacca security
By Richard Scott Jane’s Naval Consultant
Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore have signed a Strait of Malacca Patrol Joint Co-ordinating Committee Terms of Reference (TOR) and Standard Operational Procedures (SOP) document designed to enable the three littoral states to work together more closely to strengthen the security of the strait.
The Strait of Malacca is a critical and strategic waterway in the global trading system; more than 10 million barrels of crude oil pass through the strait every day, with more than 50,000 vessels transiting its waters every year.
Since the inception of the joint patrols, piracy in the region has been seen to decrease markedly: in the first four months of 2006 there were only two reported cases of pirate attacks compared to more than 30 incidents over the same period in 2004.
At a signing ceremony held in Batam, Indonesia, on 21 April 2006, Singapore's Chief of Defence Force Lieutenant-General Ng Yat Chung said the security of the Strait of Malacca is "an important security issue not just for our region but also for the international community".
Lt Gen Ng added that Singapore viewed the Strait of Malacca Patrol as "an open arrangement, with opportunities for the international communities to participate in an appropriate manner", and added that, with the appropriate consents from Indonesia and Malaysia, he could foresee the participation of other states, "such as Thailand".
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