The Strait of Malacca is a major axis in worldwide maritime traffic and a vital artery of intraregional commerce. It is located at the juncture of the transoceanic merchandise shipping lines between the Indian Ocean and the Pacific, intra-Asian lines, and east-west circumterrestrial maritime routes.

The Strait of Malacca connects the Indian Ocean with the Pacific Ocean through the South China Sea and is the shortest sea route between the Middle East region as an oil-producing area and oil-using countries in East and Southeast Asia. Currently, the Straits of Malacca is estimated to be traversed by no less than 70-80 thousand ships per year or about nearly 200 ships every day. Among them are giant tankers measuring 180,000 deadweight tonnages and above.

Historically, the Straits of Malacca began to develop rapidly as a voyage since the end of the 15th century, namely when the Sriwijaya Kingdom was founded. The very prominent role of the Malacca Strait is as a meeting place for various merchants from Persia, Arabia, India, China, and the surrounding area. Goods made of cotton through the Straits of Malacca include textiles, camphor, pearls, precious wood, spices, ivory, cloth and zinc, silver, gold, silk, glassware, and sugar.

Considering the Strait as an inland sea allows us to go beyond the uniquely land-based territorial logic, which places the coastline at the periphery of the nation, and which assigns to it the function of a boundary. Before we consider the strait, and more generally the maritime zone, as a breaking point, they should first be considered as a link. In the Malay World, the sea has never been seen as an obstacle.

4000 x 6000 Px
300 DPI

By Samanta, 2023