The Way Ahead

The littoral states have already invested a great deal of time and effort in promoting navigational safety and controlling pollution in the Straits. For these efforts, Japan has been and will continue to be in partnership with the Coastal states, as it fully recognizes the importance of the Straits in international trade and shipping.

In future, the Straits will continue playing a vital role in international commerce. The number of ships plying through this “Silk Route of the Seas” will keep on growing. As the traffic volume grows, it is anticipated that the likelihood of accidents and pollution will rise too.

Much more effort is needed to preserve the eco-environment of the Straits and to keep it safe for all users. While the littoral states have done much towards this end, it would be unfair to continue placing this responsibility wholly on their shoulders. Just as the users benefit from the Straits, they too should help in its maintenance and upkeep. The 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea Article 43 is the model to provide impetus to User States.

Coastal states could encourage this participation by initiating a partnership agreement with the user states. Such a partnership would go a long way towards promoting navigational safety and preserving the environment of the Straits. Together, both parties could draft an international framework that work towards maintaining the safety of the Malacca Straits.

On behalf of the Japanese community, we at the Nippon Maritime Center will continue to facilitate cooperation between the littoral states and Japan’s governmental and private bodies.

We remain committed to building bridges between the Nippon Foundation, the MSC and JAMS and the ASEAN shipping community. NMC will continue acting as a platform for one-on-one local communication as we maintain our close cooperation with Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore to keep the Straits of Malacca and Singapore safe and clean for all.