JAKARTA<\/span> \u2013 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.<\/p>\n 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\u2019s status as an archipelagic state and guarantees the right of passage through its sea lanes without impediment. <\/p>\n Mr Sugiono stressed that Jakarta remains committed to upholding the freedom of navigation and ensuring that maritime traffic through one of the world\u2019s busiest waterways remains smooth and open.<\/p>\n \u201cWe 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,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n \u201cSo, no\u2026 Indonesia is not in a position to do that,\u201d he added, referring to the idea of charging ships for passage in the waterway. <\/p>\n Indonesia\u2019s finance minister had suggested a day earlier that a toll could be charged on ships using the waterway, after which Malaysia\u2019s Foreign Minister Mohamad Hasan said no country can unilaterally determine access to the Strait of Malacca.<\/p>\n Datuk Seri Mohamad said Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia and Thailand shared a \u201cwatertight understanding\u201d on the status of the 900km strait.<\/p>\n \u201cWhatever is to be done in the Strait of Malacca must involve the cooperation of all four countries. That is our understanding \u2013 it cannot be done unilaterally,\u201d he said on April 22 at a forum in Kuala Lumpur on the impact of the US-Iran conflict on Malaysia.<\/p>\n \u201cWhen we entered into a joint agreement on patrols and the security of the Strait of Malacca, that was the basis \u2013 there are no unilateral decisions.\u201d<\/p>\n Mr Sugiono and Mr Mohamad were responding to Indonesian Finance Minister Purbaya Yudhi Sadewa\u2019s suggestion on April 22 that countries along the strait could impose a levy<\/span><\/a> on ships passing through the strait \u2013 similar to Iran\u2019s plans to charge vessels<\/span><\/a> transiting the Strait of Hormuz.<\/p>\n More than 200 vessels \u2013 including container ships, oil tankers and bulk carriers \u2013 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.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n \u201cWe are on a strategic global trade and energy route, but we do not charge ships passing through the Strait of Malacca,\u201d Dr Purbaya had said at a financial symposium in Jakarta. \u201cNow Iran is looking to charge ships passing through the Strait of Hormuz.\u201d <\/p>\n Malaysia\u2019s Foreign Minister Mohamad Hasan said that whatever is to be done in the Strait of Malacca must involve all four countries.<\/p>\n PHOTO: REUTERS<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n He added that any move to do the same in the Strait of Malacca would have to involve Malaysia and Singapore, the other littoral states along the strait.<\/p>\n \u201cIf we split it three ways between Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore, that could be quite something, right?\u201d said the minister with a laugh.<\/p>\n Dr Purbaya said the idea was in line with Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto\u2019s directive for Indonesia to play a bigger role in global trade, prompting the country to \u201cstart thinking more offensively\u201d about its resources.<\/p>\n But the Indonesian minister tempered his remark and said such a proposal is not simple.<\/p>\n \u201cSingapore is small, Malaysia is similar (to Indonesia) \u2013 perhaps we could split it in two. If only it were that simple, but it isn\u2019t,\u201d Dr Purbaya said.<\/p>\n Separately on April 22, Singapore\u2019s Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan said Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore shared a strategic interest in keeping the straits of Malacca and Singapore open, noting that all three are trade-dependent economies and work together to maintain free passage through the waterways.<\/p>\n \u201cThe right of transit passage is guaranteed for everyone,\u201d Dr Balakrishnan said at a CNBC event in Singapore. \u201cWe will not participate in any attempts to close or interdict or to impose tolls in our neighbourhood.\u201d<\/p>\n He had earlier defended Singapore\u2019s decision not to negotiate such tolls with Tehran, instead affirming the freedom of navigation guaranteed under UNCLOS.<\/p>\n The international treaty ensures that all ships \u2013 including warships \u2013 can navigate seas and straits without undue interference.<\/p>\n Speaking in Parliament on April 7, Dr Balakrishnan said the right of transit passage is not a privilege<\/span><\/a> granted by bordering states. \u201cIt\u2019s not a licence to be subjugated at all. It is not a toll to be paid. It is a right of all nations\u2019 ships to traverse,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<\/picture><\/div>