World politics
fromwww.dw.com
4 days agoThe weaponization of shipping channels
A toll on the Strait of Malacca is unlikely to be pursued due to freedom of navigation concerns, while chokepoint leverage risks persist for global trade.
Iran is now planning to charge ships passing through the Strait of Hormuz. If we split [income from levies] three ways-Indonesia, Malaysia, and Singapore-it could be quite substantial. Indonesia stands to benefit most, given that its stretch is the largest and longest.
Incidents of piracy and armed robbery in the straits of Malacca and Singapore have nearly quadrupled in the strategic waterways this year, according to a new report from an anti-piracy monitoring group. In the first six months of this year there were 80 incidents of piracy and armed robbery in the straits, according to ReCAAP's Information Sharing Centre (ISC). In the same period last year there were 21 incidents.