Foreign Minister Explains Basis for US Warship Crossing Malacca Strait

Foreign Minister Sugiono has explained the matter of the United States (US) warship passing through the Malacca Strait. Sugiono stated that it is part of a freedom of navigation patrol. “I think it’s normal for them, patrolling the region. There’s something called a freedom of navigation patrol, right,” said Sugiono to reporters at the Bina Graha building in Central Jakarta on Wednesday (22/4/2026). He said the US ship’s passage through the Malacca Strait is not new. “That’s not new at all, not something new,” he said. Previously, the Indonesian Navy (TNI AL) confirmed the presence of a US warship passing through the Malacca Strait. TNI AL stated that the US ship was in transit. “Navigation solely for the purpose of continuous, direct, and expeditious transit between one part of the high seas or exclusive economic zone and another part of the high seas or exclusive economic zone. This is based on Articles 37, 38, and 39 of UNCLOS 1982,” said the Navy’s Chief of Information, First Admiral Tunggul, when contacted on Sunday (19/4). Tunggul described the warship’s activity as lawful international navigation. He mentioned that the right of ships, including warships, to cross those waters is the right of transit passage or transit passage in straits used for international navigation. “As we all know, Indonesia has ratified UNCLOS 1982 through Law Number 17 of 1985 on the Ratification of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea,” he explained. Meanwhile, there were circulating issues claiming that the US would deploy its warship to hunt tanker ships in the Malacca Strait. Tunggul emphasised that foreign ships passing through must not violate regulations. “In addition to that, while foreign ships are in transit, they must not violate provisions in accordance with COLREG 1972 on preventing collisions at sea and MARPOL on preventing pollution from ships,” he said.