Indonesian minister walks back on Malacca Strait monetisation comments

On Wednesday, Purbaya caused a stir by openly musing about ways countries could impose tolls on ships as a way to monetise the strait, before noting that such an arrangement was not possible.

The effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz in the Middle East has forced policymakers in Asia to face questions over the security of other maritime chokepoints.

The 900-kilometre long Malacca Strait, described by the US Energy Administration as the world's largest "oil transit chokepoint", is bound by Indonesia, Thailand, Malaysia and Singapore and provides the shortest sea route from East Asia to the Middle East and Europe.

More than 102,500 ships, mostly commercial vessels, transited through the Malacca Strait in 2025, up from around 94,300 in 2024, data from Malaysia's Marine Department showed.

(Reporting by Stefanno Sulaiman; Editing by David Stanway, Martin Petty)