Indonesia Rules Out Tolls for Malacca Strait Ship Transits
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Article content(Bloomberg) — Indonesia’s top diplomat said the country will not pursue tolls on ships passing through the Strait of Malacca, seeking to calm concerns after its finance minister raised the idea this week.Sign In or Create an AccountEmail AddressContinueor View more offersArticle content“As a trading nation, Indonesia supports freedom of navigation and expects open sea lanes,” Foreign Minister Sugiono said Thursday in Jakarta. “So Indonesia is not in a position to impose such charges — that would not be appropriate.”Article contentWe apologize, but this video has failed to load.Try refreshing your browser, ortap here to see other videos from our team.Article contentFinance Minister Purbaya Yudhi Sadewa on Wednesday questioned whether it was “right or wrong” that Indonesia does not charge tolls on vessels transiting the narrow waterway. His comments came as a broader debate unfolds over Iran’s push to levy fees on ships passing through the Strait of Hormuz, a critical chokepoint linking the Persian Gulf to global markets.Article contentArticle contentOn Friday, Purbaya sought to clarify the situation, telling reporters: “I wasn’t serious about it. We had never planned to charge a fee.”Article contentTop StoriesGet the latest headlines, breaking news and columns.There was an error, please provide a valid email address.Sign UpBy signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc.Thanks for signing up!A welcome email is on its way. If you don't see it, please check your junk folder.The next issue of Top Stories will soon be in your inbox.We encountered an issue signing you up. Please try againInterested in more newsletters? Browse here.Article contentThe Strait of Malacca, which runs between Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore, is one of the world’s busiest shipping lanes and a strategic bottleneck for Asia. Roughly 40% of global trade transits the strait each year, including a significant share of energy shipments bound for China, Japan and South Korea.Article contentSingapore’s foreign minister, Vivian Balakrishnan, has repeatedly said passage through the Malacca and Singapore straits must remain free and open, and that the city-state does not support efforts to restrict navigation or impose new costs on vessels using the route.Article contentUnder the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, ships of all nations enjoy the right of transit passage through key chokepoints such as the Strait of Malacca, limiting the ability of bordering states to impede or levy fees on navigation.Article content“Indonesia is in a position where, as an archipelagic state, it must of course respect UNCLOS,” Sugiono said.Article contentPurbaya echoed that sentiment Friday. “We understand our commitments to UNCLOS and we will uphold them,” he said. Article content—With assistance from Grace Sihombing.Article content(Updates with finance minister comments from fourth paragraph.)Article contentTrending Canada's condo supply is about to fall off a cliff Real Estate CPP, OAS and other strategies to help seniors face a more expensive retirement Debt Trump ‘gold card’ visa granted to only one person, Lutnick says News An old factory in Welland, Ont., sat derelict for years — until someone discovered it could be worth billions Mining Say goodbye to fixed mortgage rates below 4% Mortgage Rates Share this article in your social networkCommentsYou must be logged in to join the discussion or read more comments.Create an AccountSign in Join the Conversation Postmedia is committed to maintaining a lively but civil forum for discussion. Please keep comments relevant and respectful. Comments may take up to an hour to appear on the site. You will receive an email if there is a reply to your comment, an update to a thread you follow or if a user you follow comments. Visit our Community Guidelines for more information. Canada's condo supply is about to fall off a cliff Real Estate CPP, OAS and other strategies to help seniors face a more expensive retirement Debt Trump ‘gold card’ visa granted to only one person, Lutnick says News An old factory in Welland, Ont., sat derelict for years — until someone discovered it could be worth billions Mining Say goodbye to fixed mortgage rates below 4% Mortgage Rates