Malacca Strait safe for ships: KL

Malacca Strait safe for ships: KL

Malaysia on Monday said the Malacca Strait was safe for
seafarers, playing down the fears of some regional governments
which believe the vital waterway is a tempting target for
terrorists.

Transport Minister Chan Kong Choy said joint air patrols with
Singapore, Malaysia and Thailand to be launched on Tuesday would
further bolster security in the strait.

"The strait is very safe and the agreement is to beef up
existing joint efforts in safeguarding the security of the
strait," he was quoted as saying by Bernama news agency.

"To say it's dangerous, exposed to all kinds of threat, it's
exaggeration," he added.

Defense ministers from Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore and
Thailand on Tuesday will sign an agreement to launch the "eye in
the skies" air patrols.

The three littoral states of Malaysia, Indonesia and Singapore
have already begun coordinated sea patrols but agreed last month
to boost surveillance with joint air patrols.

The Malacca Strait is one of the world's most important
waterways, with 50,000 ships carrying about one-third of the
globe's trade passing through it each year.

However the strait, 960 kilometers long and 1.2 kilometers
wide at its narrowest, is vulnerable to pirate attacks and some
governments in the region also believe it is a tempting target
for terrorists.

Last month Malaysia urged an international insurance body to
remove the Malacca Strait from a list of waterways deemed
dangerous, saying ships were safe from terror attacks and piracy
was contained.

Malaysia is fast expanding its ports such as Port Klang that
sits on the Malacca Strait.

An international insurance body has declared the strait
dangerous and some underwriters may impose additional premiums
for ships plying the strait, which could affect traffic at
Malaysian ports.

The International Maritime Bureau (IMB) has listed the strait,
and the waters around Indonesia, as among the world's worst for
piracy, and some regional governments believe ships could be
targeted by terrorists. -- AFP