At UN debate, Singapore reaffirms freedom of passage in international waterways is ‘right not privilege’

The Strait of Hormuz, which normally carries about a fifth of global oil shipments, has been largely closed since the eruption of the war in Iran, which began with US-Israeli strikes on the country on Feb 28.

Although a ceasefire has paused full-scale fighting, Iran’s Revolutionary Guards said they had no intention of reopening Hormuz, while Washington has imposed a US Navy blockade of Iran’s ports.

Last week, Indonesian Finance Minister Purbaya Yudhi Sadewa floated the idea of imposing tolls on ships using the Malacca Strait, before clarifying that his country had no intention of doing so.

Mr Zhulkarnain said on Monday that the Straits of Malacca and Singapore carry about 23.2 million barrels of oil per day, exceeding the 20.9 million barrels per day that used to flow through the Strait of Hormuz, and that its narrowest point stretches only two nautical miles in width.

“Singapore takes a clear and categorical position … The stakes are not theoretical … If the right of transit passage is not upheld, international navigation in the straits could be completely disrupted,” he said.

For Singapore and the world, the transit passage regime under United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) “is not an abstract question of legal doctrine, but one with real implications for global economic security and international stability”, said Mr Zhulkarnain, who is also Minister of State for Social and Family Development.