Everything about The Strait Of Malacca totally explained
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. It is named after the state of
Malacca, Malaysia.
Economic importance
From an economic and strategic perspective the
Strait of
Malacca is one of the most important shipping lanes in the world.
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. Over 50,000 vessels pass through the strait per year, carrying about one-quarter of the world's traded goods including oil, Chinese manufactures, and Indonesian coffee.
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 were transported through the strait.
Shipping hazards
Piracy in the strait has risen in recent years. 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.
There are 34 shipwrecks, some dating to the 1880s, in the Traffic Separation Scheme (TSS), the channel for commercial ships. These pose a collision hazard in the narrow and shallow Strait.
Another risk is the yearly
haze caused by raging bush fires in
Sumatra. It can reduce visibility to, forcing ships to slow down in the busy strait. Some fear it 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 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. This would also cut Thailand in two, further isolating the separatist
Muslim majority in
Pattani.
China has offered to cover the costs, according to a report leaked to
The Washington Times in 2004. 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. 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. There is also a proposal to pipe crude from the Middle East to
Xinjiang, China. 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. Kedah served as a western port on the
Malay Peninsula. These traders sailed to Kedah via the
monsoon winds between June through November. 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. 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.
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