THE CORRIDOR’S ENDPOINTS
Conventional length: an interval
IMO: 930 km; Clarksons: about 800 km. M02
Keep the wording “about 800–930 km”: the chosen conventional endpoints change the measure. It is not one settled length. M02
Sumatra · passage · Singapore gateway
The Strait of Malacca: a long corridor, a narrow gateway
Between Sumatra and the Malay Peninsula, Malacca reads as a long corridor with a narrow southern gateway. VTS reports, energy flows and port totals measure different systems. M02 M03 M05 M07 M19
The photograph shows cargo ships off the city of Melaka. Farther south, the story reaches Phillips Channel in the Singapore Strait. M02 M03 M19
GEOGRAPHY
A long corridor narrows at the southern gateway
Here, the chosen endpoints matter: the sources do not settle on one length. M02
Length, conventional width and a vessel’s draft are three different measures. M02 M03 M04
SOUTHERN GATEWAY
Phillips Channel, in the Singapore Strait
About 2.8 km at the narrowest point. M03
Clarksons gives the conventional width of the strait at its narrowest point: Phillips Channel, in the Singapore Strait. This is not a new survey of the navigable channel. M03
VESSEL DRAFT CLASS · 1998
The 15 m figure belongs to a vessel
“Deep draught vessel” means a draft of at least 15 m. M04
The 1998 notice uses “deep draught vessel” for ships drawing at least 15 m. That is a vessel draft class; this page makes no claim about a current minimum channel depth. M04
Photographs and maps · date and credit with each image
PORT AND HISTORY
A remembered beginning. Three dates with different jobs.
In Malacca, the beginning comes through remembered tradition; later dates mark a capture, Johor’s participation and a treaty signature. M13 M14 M15 M16
Tradition, capture and treaty signature belong to different layers of the timeline. M13 M14 M15 M16
REMEMBERED TRADITION
An inherited origin story, not a settled founding year
The estimate around 1400 remains disputed. M13
Sejarah Melayu carries a later account of the sultanate’s origin. The estimate around 1400 belongs to that tradition; the exact date and early rulers remain disputed. M13
24 AUGUST 1511
The Portuguese capture of the city
24 August 1511 is the capture date. M14
The Portuguese Navy Museum dates the capture of Malacca to 24 August 1511. Any drawn attack line remains schematic: the available sources do not verify an exact sailed route. M14
1641 · 17 MARCH 1824
Johor takes part; the treaty has its own date
Dutch victory with Johor in 1641; treaty signed in 1824. M15 M16
In 1641, Dutch forces displaced the Portuguese with Johor’s participation. The Anglo-Dutch treaty was signed on 17 March 1824; its signature date is not its implementation date. M15 M16
Photographs and maps · date and credit with each image
REPORTED INCIDENTS
Two straits. Two series.
When the reporting geography changes, the series changes too. The figures stay in their own lanes. M11 M12
IMB notes under-reporting; its explanation for the 2005 fall is not independent causal proof. M11 M12
MALACCA STRAIT · 2004–2005
38 reported in 2004; 12 in 2005
IMB’s explanation for the drop is not a demonstrated cause. M12
The IMB reporting for 2005 shows 38 attacks in the Malacca Strait in 2004 and 12 in 2005. IMB attributed the drop to increased patrols by littoral states; that is the organisation’s explanation, not independent causal proof. M12
MALACCA AND SINGAPORE · 2024–2025
Keep the series apart
Malacca: 1 and 1. Singapore: 43 and 80. M11
The Malacca Straits series records one incident in 2024 and one in 2025; the separate Singapore Straits series reports 43 in 2024 and 80 in 2025. Do not move Singapore’s 80 into Malacca. M11
WHAT THE SERIES MEASURES
Reported incidents, with under-reporting
IMB counts reported piracy and armed-robbery incidents. M11
The IMB series covers reported piracy and armed-robbery incidents, not a complete census. The organisation notes under-reporting. M11
Photographs and maps · date and credit with each image
WHAT COUNTS
94,301 passages, with a defined edge
A scoped total does not become a universal total through repetition. M05 M06
KLANG VTS · 2024
94,301 reported transits
Ships >300 GT · One Fathom Bank–Iyu Kecil. M05
The Nippon Maritime Center compilation reports 94,301 transits in 2024, for ships over 300 GT reporting to Klang VTS; the counted stretch is One Fathom Bank–Iyu Kecil. M05
TWO VTS SYSTEMS
STRAITREP has its own coverage
Its area and reporting categories differ. M05 M06
STRAITREP has its own coverage and vessel categories. Do not use the Singapore system to change the definition of the Klang VTS reporting series. M05 M06
THE COUNT’S LIMIT
94,301 does not mean every ship
It is the reported-transit series for a defined stretch. M05 M06
This is not an all-vessel total for the wider Malacca–Singapore system; it does not automatically include vessels outside the threshold and reporting area. M05 M06
ENERGY AND CHINA
Oil and LNG move through different units
The EIA estimate for the first half of 2025 keeps the commodity, unit and denominator in view. M07
First the flows; then the question each percentage answers. M07
MALACCA · 1H25 · OIL
23.2 million barrels a day
29% of global maritime oil flows, according to EIA. M07
EIA estimates 23.2 million barrels of oil a day through Malacca in the first half of 2025. The 29% is the share of global maritime oil flows. M07
MALACCA · 1H25 · LNG
9.2 Bcf/d of LNG
Gas keeps its own unit. M07
For LNG, EIA’s estimate is 9.2 Bcf/d in the same half of 2025. Oil barrels and gas cubic feet are not added into one total. M07
CHINA · MALACCA · 1H25
48% has a specific denominator
China accounted for 48% of import volumes passing through Malacca. M07
In EIA’s first-half 2025 estimate, China accounted for 48% of import volumes passing through Malacca. This does not mean 48% of all China’s imports pass through the strait. M07
PORTS AND UNITS
TEU: containers, not ships
Ports offer another view: container throughput over a calendar year. M17
All three ports use the same unit and period; their totals do not measure strait transits. M05 M17
SINGAPORE · 2025
44.66 million TEU
Port throughput in calendar year 2025. M17
The Port of Singapore reported 44.66 million TEU for calendar year 2025. TEU measures container capacity; the figure is not a ship count. M17
PORT KLANG · 2025
15.14 million TEU
Westports and Northport, combined. M17
Port Klang reported 15.14 million TEU in 2025, combining Westports and Northport. TEU is not cargo weight, and this total does not measure Malacca transits. M17
PORT OF TANJUNG PELEPAS · 2025
14,028,375 TEU
The operator’s figure for calendar year 2025. M17
The Port of Tanjung Pelepas reported 14,028,375 TEU in 2025. It is annual container throughput, not the number of ships that passed through the strait. M17
Photographs and maps · date and credit with each image
POLICY AND RESILIENCE
Corridor language does not name the strait
The documents give a dated frame for strategic passages and resilient corridors; neither names Malacca. M10
Keep official policy language at the scale the documents use. M10
PLANNING · 12 MARCH 2026
The five-year plan sets out strategic language
Energy cooperation and strategic-passage security. M10
China’s 15th Five-Year Plan was approved on 12 March 2026. It calls for international energy-resource cooperation and strategic-passage security; it does not name Malacca. M10
TRANSPORT POLICY · 2026
Resilient international corridors
Issued 30 June; published 24 July 2026. M10
The MOT/NDRC policy was issued on 30 June and published on 24 July 2026. It speaks of resilient international transport corridors and maritime safety. M10
SCOPE OF THE CLAIM
Neither document names Malacca
This is not a declared Malacca-specific policy. M10
Neither the Five-Year Plan nor the MOT/NDRC policy names Malacca. This page uses them only as context for language about strategic passages and corridor resilience. M10
PASSAGE AND ROUTES
“The artery the world cannot close” is a metaphor
Law governs passage; geography also leaves alternative routes, with different constraints. M01 M07 M08
A legal regime is not a guarantee that a sea route cannot be physically closed. M01 M07 M08 M14 M18
UNCLOS · ARTICLES 38 AND 44
Transit passage has a legal regime
Duties not to impede passage do not mean physical impossibility. M01
“The artery the world cannot close” is a metaphor. UNCLOS sets a transit-passage regime for qualifying straits; Articles 38 and 44 say passage shall not be impeded. M01
SUNDA · LOMBOK · PIPELINE
Alternatives exist, with different limits
Detours and the Myanmar pipeline are not equivalent replacements. M07 M08
Regional alternatives and longer detours exist, with different constraints. The Myanmar pipeline is a partial alternative; it does not show that Malacca has been bypassed at large scale. M07 M08
CURRENT LOCATOR · HISTORICAL SCHEMATIC
OSM shows where, not how deep
Dated locator geometry; no soundings and no 1511 track. M04 M14 M18
The locator uses parent-verified, dated OpenStreetMap geometry. OSM is not a nautical chart; the cross-section stays qualitative, and the 1511 route is an uncertain schematic drawn separately. M04 M14 M18
Sources for this passage
Sources and limits
Annotations retain the status in the source ledger.
- M01 · UNCLOS Part III — straits regime
treaty text · official-link-unverified
https://www.un.org/depts/los/convention_agreements/texts/unclos/part3.htm
- M02 · Conventional length of the strait
institutional summary and industry analysis · official-link-unverified
https://www.imo.org/en/mediacentre/hottopics/pages/faq-safety-of-straits-used-for-international-navigation-.aspx · https://www.clarksons.com/home/glossary/s/what-is-the-strait-of-malacca/
- M03 · Phillips Channel at the Malacca–Singapore gateway
maritime industry analysis · official-link-unverified
https://www.clarksons.com/home/glossary/s/what-is-the-strait-of-malacca/
- M04 · Malaysia Marine Department, Notice to Mariners No. 39(T), 1998
primary operational notice · official-link-unverified
- M05 · Nippon Maritime Center — reported Malacca transits
secondary institutional compilation of Malaysian Marine Department data · official-link-unverified
https://www.nikkaibo.or.jp/pdf/R06_01.pdf · https://www.nikkaibo.or.jp/pdf/R05_01.pdf
- M06 · Singapore MPA — Vessel Traffic Information System / STRAITREP
official reporting-system description · official-link-unverified
https://www.mpa.gov.sg/port-marine-ops/operations/vessel-traffic-information-system
- M07 · U.S. EIA — World Oil Transit Chokepoints
government analysis based on tracked flows · official-link-unverified
https://www.eia.gov/international/content/analysis/special_topics/World_Oil_Transit_Chokepoints/
- M08 · U.S. EIA — China oil imports and alternative routes
government analysis · official-link-unverified
- M10 · 2026 Chinese official documents on strategic passages and corridor resilience
official national plan and sector policy; neither names Malacca · official-link-unverified
https://www.moe.gov.cn/jyb_xwfb/xw_zt/moe_357/2026/2026_zt03/yw/202603/t20260314_1430877.html · https://www.cqrd.gov.cn/web/article/1481955850634850304/web/content_1481955850634850304.html · https://xxgk.mot.gov.cn/jigou/zcyjs/202607/t20260724_4210365.html
- M11 · IMB — incidents reported separately in the Malacca and Singapore Straits
primary annual incident-monitoring report · official-link-unverified
https://www.icc-ccs.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/2025-Jan-Dec-IMB-Piracy-and-Armed-Robbery-Report.pdf · https://icc-ccs.org/maritime-piracy-dropped-in-2024-but-crew-safety-remains-at-risk/
- M12 · ICC/IMB — historical 2004–2005 attack series
release reproducing IMB annual reporting · official-link-unverified
- M13 · Origins and early chronology of the Malacca Sultanate
UNESCO record on a later chronicle and academic study · official-link-unverified
https://media.unesco.org/sites/default/files/webform/mow001/malaysia_sejarah_melayu.pdf · https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/journal-of-southeast-asian-history/article/abs/malaccas-early-kings-and-the-reception-of-islam/1386B1531F19978DF48670510B7598DA
- M14 · The Portuguese capture of Malacca in 1511
institutional chronology · official-link-unverified
https://cultura.marinha.pt/pt/museumarinha_web/multimedia_web/Paginas/efemeride-tomada-malaca-24ago20.aspx · https://www.muziumnegara.gov.my/en/node/101
- M15 · The Dutch capture with Johor’s participation in 1641
secondary historical synthesis + date check · official-link-unverified
https://www.GlobalSecurity.org/military/world/malaysia/history-dutch.htm · https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Siege_of_Malacca_(1640%E2%80%931641)
- M16 · The Anglo-Dutch Treaty of 1824
transcription of treaty text · official-link-unverified
- M17 · 2025 container volumes at Singapore, Port Klang and Tanjung Pelepas
annual port authority and operator figures · official-link-unverified
https://www.mpa.gov.sg/media-centre/details/singapore-posts-record-port-performance-in-2025-and-develops-future-readiness-through-industry-collaborations-for-2026 · https://www.ptp.com.my/media-hub/news/port-klang-ptp-set-new-container-handling-records · https://www.mmcports.com.my/port-of-tanjung-pelepas-closes-2025-breaking-14-million-teus-in-25th-anniversary-year/
- M18 · OpenStreetMap — current geometry and ODbL attribution
collaborative map, used only for current geometry and attribution · official-link-unverified
- M19 · Commons candidate V01 — Ships in the Malacca Strait
unreviewed file page · official-link-unverified
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Ships_in_the_Malacca_Strait.jpg
- M20 · Commons candidate V04 — Portuguese Malacca map
unreviewed file page · official-link-unverified
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Portuguese_Malacca_map.png
- M21 · Commons candidate V05 — A Famosa Fortress Melaka
file page candidate for a modern building, not a period image · official-link-unverified
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:A_Famosa_Fortress_Melaka.jpg
- M22 · Commons candidate V05 — Stadthuys Melaka
file page candidate for a modern building, not a period image · official-link-unverified
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Stadthuys_Melaka.jpg
- M23 · Commons candidate V08 — A Piratical Proa in Full Chase
unreviewed file page · official-link-unverified
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:A_Piratical_Proa_in_Full_Chase.jpg
- M24 · Commons candidate V16 — Tanjong Pagar Container Terminal at night
unreviewed file page · official-link-unverified
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:TanjongPagarContainerTerminal-Singapore-20091113.jpg
