The Strait of Malacca is a narrow, 805 km (500 mile) stretch of water between Peninsular Malaysia (West Malaysia) and the Indonesian island of Sumatra. Peninsular Malaysia ( Semenanjung Malaysia) also known as Malaya or West Malaysia, is the part of Malaysia which lies on For the biogeographical region see Malesia Malaysia (məˈleɪʒə or /məˈleɪziə/ is a country that consists of thirteen states and The Republic of Indonesia ( (Republik Indonesia is a Country in Southeast Asia. Sumatra (also spelled Sumatera) is the sixth largest island in the world (approximately 470000 km² and is the largest island entirely in Indonesia (two It is named after the state of Malacca, Malaysia.
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Economic importance
From an economic and strategic perspective the Strait of Malacca is one of the most important shipping lanes in the world. A strait is a narrow navigable Channel of water that connects two larger navigable bodies of water
The strait is the main shipping channel between the Indian Ocean and the Pacific Ocean, linking major Asian economies such as India, China, Japan, South Korea, and Taiwan. The Indian Ocean is the third largest of the world's Oceanic divisions covering about 20% of the water on the Earth 's surface The Pacific Ocean is the largest of the Earth 's Oceanic divisions India, officially the Republic of India (भारत गणराज्य inc-Latn Bhārat Gaṇarājya; see also other Indian languages) is a country Talk People's Republic of China) PEOPLE'S REPUBLIC OF CHINA ARTICLE GUIDELINES For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Japan topics. South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea and often referred to as Korea ( Korean: 대한민국 tɛː Taiwan ( Taiwanese: Tâi-oân/Tāi-oân (historically 大灣/台員/大員/台圓/大圓/台窩灣 is an Island in East Asia. Over 50,000 vessels pass through the strait per year,[1] carrying about one-quarter of the world's traded goods including oil, Chinese manufactures, and Indonesian coffee. [2]
About a quarter of all oil carried by sea pass through the strait, mainly from Persian Gulf suppliers to Asian markets such as China, Japan, and South Korea. In 2006, an estimated 15 million barrels per day (2,400,000 m³/d) were transported through the strait. [1]
The maximum size of a vessel that can make passage through the Strait is referred to as Malaccamax. Malaccamax is a Naval architecture term for the largest size of ship capable of fitting through the -deep Strait of Malacca. The strait is not deep enough (at 25 metres or 82 feet) to permit some of the largest ships (mostly oil tankers) to use it. History The technology of oil transportation has evolved alongside the oil industry A ship that exceeds Malaccamax will typically use the Lombok Strait, Makassar Strait, Sibutu Passage and Mindoro Strait instead. The Lombok Strait is a Strait connecting the Java Sea to the Indian Ocean, located between the Islands of Bali and Lombok Makassar Strait is a Strait between the islands of Borneo and Sulawesi in Indonesia. Sibutu Passage is a safe and deep channel some 18 miles (29 km wide that separates Borneo from the Sulu Archipelago. Mindoro Strait is a strait in the Philippines,. separating Mindoro island from Palawan province At Phillips Channel near Singapore, the Strait of Malacca narrows to 2. Singapore 8 km (1. 5 nautical miles) wide, creating one of the world's most significant traffic chokepoints. In military strategy a choke point (or chokepoint) is a geographical feature on land such as a valley or defile, or at sea such as a Strait which an armed [3]
Shipping hazards
Piracy in the strait has risen in recent years. Piracy is Robbery committed at sea or sometimes on shore without a commission from a sovereign Nation (as distinct from Privateering There were about 25 attacks on vessels in 1994, 220 in 2000, and just over 150 in 2003 (one-third of the global total).
After attacks rose again in the first half of 2004, the Malaysian, Indonesian and Singaporean navies stepped up their patrols of the area in July 2004. For the biogeographical region see Malesia Malaysia (məˈleɪʒə or /məˈleɪziə/ is a country that consists of thirteen states and Singapore
- See also: Piracy in the Strait of Malacca
There are 34 shipwrecks, some dating to the 1880s, in the Traffic Separation Scheme (TSS), the channel for commercial ships. Piracy in the Strait of Malacca has historically been an unresolved threat to ship owners and the mariners who ply the 900km-long (550 miles sea lane These pose a collision hazard in the narrow and shallow Strait. [4]
Another risk is the yearly haze caused by raging bush fires in Sumatra. Haze is traditionally an atmospheric phenomenon where dust smoke and other dry particles obscure the clarity of the sky Sumatra (also spelled Sumatera) is the sixth largest island in the world (approximately 470000 km² and is the largest island entirely in Indonesia (two It can reduce visibility to 200 metres (660 ft), forcing ships to slow down in the busy strait. Ships longer than 350 metres (1,100 ft) routinely use the strait. Some fear the haze might also give cover to terrorists or pirates.
Proposals to relieve the strait
Thailand has developed several plans to diminish the economic significance of the strait. The Kingdom of Thailand (ˈtaɪlænd ราชอาณาจักรไทย, râːtɕʰa-ʔaːnaːtɕɑ̀k-tʰɑj The Thai government has over the course of its history several times proposed to cut a canal through the Isthmus of Kra, saving around 960 km (600 miles) from the journey from Indian Ocean to the Pacific. The Thai Canal (formerly known as Kra Canal or Kra Isthmus Canal) refers to a plan for a large canal that would cut through southern Thailand to enable The Kra Isthmus is the narrow landbridge which connects the Malay Peninsula with the mainland of Asia. The Indian Ocean is the third largest of the world's Oceanic divisions covering about 20% of the water on the Earth 's surface The Pacific Ocean is the largest of the Earth 's Oceanic divisions This would also cut Thailand in two, further isolating the separatist Muslim majority in Pattani. A Muslim (مسلم pronounced Muslim, not Muzlim) is an adherent of the Religion Early history The ancient Hindu Buddhists Malay Kingdom of Nakhon Pathom influenced in the area before the arrival of the first Thai China has offered to cover the costs, according to a report leaked to The Washington Times in 2004. China ( Wade-Giles ( Mandarin) Chung¹kuo² is a cultural region, an ancient Civilization, and depending on perspective a National The Washington Times is a daily Broadsheet Newspaper published in Washington D Nevertheless, and despite the support of several Thai politicians, the prohibitive financial and ecological costs suggest that no such canal will go ahead.
A second alternative is to build a pipeline across the isthmus to carry oil to ships waiting on the other side. Pipeline transport is the transportation of goods through a pipe. Proponents say it would cut the cost of oil delivery to Asia by about $0. 50/barrel ($3/m³). Myanmar has also made a similar pipeline proposal. Burma, officially the Union of Myanmar ( pjìdàunzṵ mjàmmà nàinŋàndɔ̀ is the largest country by geographical area in mainland Southeast Asia. There is also a proposal to pipe crude from the Middle East to Xinjiang, China. Xinjiang ( Uyghur: شىنجاڭ Shinjang;; Postal map spelling: Sinkiang; Turkish: Sincan, Sincan Uygur Özerk Building began in October 2004.
Early sea routes
Early traders from Egypt, Rome, Arabia, Africa, Turkey, Persia, and India used to reach the Malaysian state of Kedah before arriving at Guangzhou. This article is about the country of Egypt For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Egypt topics. Rome ( Roma ˈroma Roma is the capital city of Italy and Lazio, and is Italy's largest and most populous city with more than 2 The Arabian Peninsula (in Arabic: شبه الجزيرة العربية šibh al-jazīra al-ʻarabīya or جزيرة العرب jazīrat al-ʻarab) The Turkic peoples are Eurasian peoples residing in northern central and western Eurasia who speak languages belonging to the Turkic language family For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Iran topics. India, officially the Republic of India (भारत गणराज्य inc-Latn Bhārat Gaṇarājya; see also other Indian languages) is a country Kedah ( Jawi: قدح pop 1778188 is a state of Malaysia, located in the northwestern part of Peninsular Malaysia. Guangzhou ( Jyutping: Gwong²zau¹; Yale: Gwóngjàu) is the Capital and a Sub-provincial city Kedah served as a western port on the Malay Peninsula. The Malay Peninsula or Thai-Malay Peninsula (Semenanjung Tanah Melayu (คาบสมุทรมลายู is a major Peninsula located in Southeast These traders sailed to Kedah via the monsoon winds between June through November. A monsoon is a seasonal prevailing wind which lasts for several months They returned between December through May. Kedah provided accommodations, porters, small vessels, bamboo rafts, elephants, and also tax collections for goods to be transported over land toward the eastern states of the Malay Peninsula like Kelantan. Kelantan is a state of Malaysia. The capital and royal seat is Kota Bharu. Ships from China came to trade at these eastern trading posts and ports. Kedah and Funan were famous ports through the 6th century, before shipping began to utilize the Strait of Malacca itself as a trade route. Funan (Old Khmer Bnam, Modern Khmer Phnom, Khmer script នគរភ្នំ (i
See also
- Early history of Kedah
- Sultanate of Kedah
- Srivijaya
- Sultanate of Malacca
- Malacca Town
- Malacca
- Sunda Strait
- Makassar Strait
References
- ^ a b World Oil Transit Chokepoints, Energy Information Administration, US Department of Energy
- ^ Freeman, Donald B. Kedah is one of many early Malay Peninsula trade centres that have been found many have yet to be identified The Sultanate of Kedah was the earliest Sultanate in the Malay Peninsula and arguably the earliest in Southeast Asia founded in year 1136 Srivijaya or Sriwijaya was an ancient Malay kingdom on the island of Sumatra, Southeast Asia which influenced much of the Malay Archipelago. The Sultanate of Malacca was founded by Parameswara in 1402 and later married the princess of Pasai in 1409. Malacca Town ( Malay: Bandar Melaka) is the capital city of the Malaysian state of Malacca. The Sunda Strait ( Indonesian: Selat Sunda) is the Strait between the Indonesian Islands of Java and the island of Sumatra Makassar Strait is a Strait between the islands of Borneo and Sulawesi in Indonesia. (2003). The Straits of Malacca: Gateway or Gauntlet?. McGill-Queen's University Press. ISBN 0773525157. . A book review citing this information can be found at University of Toronto Quarterly, Volume 74, Number 1, Winter 2004/5, pp. 528-530
- ^ World Oil Transit Chokepoints
- ^ 34 wrecks in sealane threaten passing ships
External links
- World oil transit chokepoints
- BBC News report on the increased security in the Straits
- "Going for the jugular" Report on the potential terrorist threat to the Straits. From the Economist, requires subscription, in the print edition June 10, 2004
- China builds up strategic sea lanes
- A report from the International Maritime Organisation on the implementation of a Straits "Marine Electronic Highway" - a series of technological measures to ensure safe and efficient use of the busy waters
- Malacca, Singapore, and Indonesia (1978) by Michael Leifer
- The Malacca Straits Research and Development Centre homepage
- Al-Jazeera: Malacca Strait nations plan air patrol
- Waterway To the World The Strategic Importance of the Straits of Malacca
- The Strategic Importance of the Straits of Malacca for World Trade and Regional Development
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