Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia unite to secure safe passage in crucial straits

Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia are working closely together to keep vessels moving safely through the Straits of Malacca and Singapore, Deputy Prime Minister Gan Kim Yong said on Tuesday, stressing the three countries’ shared responsibility for keeping the waterways open and secure.“The Straits of Malacca and Singapore are used for international navigation, and therefore the rights of transit passage similarly apply,” said Gan, who is also trade and industry minister, speaking on the opening day of Singapore Maritime Week.“They are not only important to Singapore, but to all the countries bordering it. Also, it connects the east from the west, so it’s important for the rest of the world,” he said.“This is something that we have worked together over the years, to make sure that we maintain the straits as a shared responsibility.”Singapore’s Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Trade and Industry Gan Kim Yong speaks at a task force meeting on April 16, 2025. Photo: ReutersHis comments came as disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz caused by the US-Israel war on Iran have sharpened focus on other major maritime chokepoints – including the Straits of Malacca and Singapore, which link Asia with the Middle East and Europe.Together, the two waterways form the world’s busiest corridor for crude oil and petroleum liquids by volume, carrying nearly 40 per cent of global trade and about one-third of the world’s seaborne oil.Gan said Singapore needed to strengthen partnerships with like-minded countries amid an increasingly volatile global climate.He added that Singapore was also negotiating with Malaysia and Indonesia to import electricity as it sought to diversify its energy sources beyond solar.02:39Middle East war fuels Asia’s energy crisis: queues, shut schools and ruined livelihoods