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