US Ship Passes Through Malacca Strait, Foreign Minister Sugiono: Not New, Just a Patrol
Indonesia’s Foreign Minister, Sugiono, commented on the presence of a United States (US) warship passing through the Malacca Strait. He stated that the US ship’s presence in Indonesian waters is not new, but rather for patrolling the region.
“I think it’s normal, patrolling the area. There’s something called Freedom of Navigation Patrol, right? It’s not new, not something new,” Sugiono said during a press conference at the Presidential Staff Office on Wednesday, 22 April 2026.
The US warship passed through the strait, which borders Indonesia, Malaysia, and Singapore, on Saturday, 18 April 2026. The Head of the Indonesian Navy’s Information Service (Kadispenal), First Admiral Tunggul, added that the transit through this major sea route complies with international law.
“In response to the foreign ship passing through the Malacca Strait, the right of ships, including warships, to pass through those waters constitutes the Right of Transit Passage,” Tunggul stated in his official remarks.
Tunggul explained that foreign ships can exercise the right of transit passage because the Malacca Strait is one of the international shipping lanes. According to him, this right is valid under Articles 37, 38, and 38 of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).
Indonesia itself has ratified UNCLOS through Law No. 17 of 1985 on the ratification of UNCLOS. With this law, Indonesia directly recognises the Malacca Strait as an international shipping lane.
Nevertheless, Tunggul emphasised that all ships passing through must respect Indonesia as the coastal state. Those ships are also required to comply with various regulations to prevent ship collisions and marine pollution from fuel.
“As long as the foreign ship is in transit passage, it must not violate provisions in accordance with the Convention on the International Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea (COLREG) 1972 on preventing collisions at sea and the Marine Pollution (Marpol) convention on preventing pollution from ships,” Tunggul revealed.