JAKARTA – Indonesia will not impose a levy on vessels transiting the Strait of Malacca, as doing so would contravene international law, Foreign Minister Sugiono said on April 23.
Responding to questions from reporters in Jakarta, he said such a policy would be inconsistent with the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), which recognises Indonesia’s status as an archipelagic state and guarantees the right of passage through its sea lanes without impediment.
Mr Sugiono stressed that Jakarta remains committed to upholding the freedom of navigation and ensuring that maritime traffic through one of the world’s busiest waterways remains smooth and open.
“We also hope for free passage, and I believe this is a shared commitment among many countries to create a shipping lane that is open, neutral and mutually supportive,” he said.
“So, no… Indonesia is not in a position to do that,” he added, referring to the idea of charging ships for passage in the waterway.
Indonesia’s finance minister had suggested a day earlier that a toll could be charged on ships using the waterway, after which Malaysia’s Foreign Minister Mohamad Hasan said no country can unilaterally determine access to the Strait of Malacca.
Datuk Seri Mohamad said Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia and Thailand shared a “watertight understanding” on the status of the 900km strait.
“Whatever is to be done in the Strait of Malacca must involve the cooperation of all four countries. That is our understanding – it cannot be done unilaterally,” he said on April 22 at a forum in Kuala Lumpur on the impact of the US-Iran conflict on Malaysia.
“When we entered into a joint agreement on patrols and the security of the Strait of Malacca, that was the basis – there are no unilateral decisions.”
Mr Sugiono and Mr Mohamad were responding to Indonesian Finance Minister Purbaya Yudhi Sadewa’s suggestion on April 22 that countries along the strait could impose a levy on ships passing through the strait – similar to Iran’s plans to charge vessels transiting the Strait of Hormuz.
More than 200 vessels – including container ships, oil tankers and bulk carriers – transit the Strait of Malacca daily, amounting to over 90,000 ships a year, or about a quarter of global traded goods. This is roughly double the number of ships passing through the Strait of Hormuz.
The Strait of Malacca is far narrower than the Strait of Hormuz, tapering to just 2.7km at its tightest point near Singapore, with an average depth of about 25m.
