Hormuz Crisis throws spotlight on the World's Largest Chokepoint - the Malacca Strait

The closure of the Strait of Hormuz has prompted policymakers to reassess the vulnerability of the Strait of Malacca, the world's busiest shipping lane carrying 22% of global maritime trade and 23.2 million barrels of oil daily—surpassing even Hormuz's 20.9 million barrels. The 900-kilometer waterway connecting East Asia to the Middle East and Europe is particularly critical for China, which depends on it for 75% of its seaborne crude imports. The crisis has intensified concerns about what a conflict in the South China Sea or Taiwan Strait could mean for this chokepoint, which narrows to just 1.7 miles at its tightest point. The four littoral states—Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, and Thailand—have publicly committed to keeping the strait open through joint patrols, with Singapore assuring both the U.S. and China of guaranteed passage rights and rejecting any tolls or blockades.

Strategic Importance and Scale of the Malacca Strait

• ▪The Strait of Malacca provides the shortest sea route from East Asia to the Middle East and Europe
• ▪More than 102,500 ships transited through the Strait of Malacca in 2025 according to Malaysia's Marine Department
• ▪Around 94,300 ships transited through the Strait of Malacca in 2024 according to Malaysia's Marine Department
• ▪In the first half of 2025, 23.2 million barrels of oil per day were transported through the Strait of Malacca
• ▪The Strait of Malacca is 900 kilometers (550 miles) long
• ▪The Strait of Hormuz saw about 20.9 million barrels per day pass through in the first half of 2025
• ▪21% of global maritime trade transits through the South China Sea or the Taiwan Strait according to the Center for Strategic and International Studies
• ▪Around 75% of China's seaborne crude oil imports pass through the Strait of Malacca from the Middle East and Africa according to tanker tracker Vortexa
• ▪The Strait of Malacca is the world's largest oil transit chokepoint according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration
• ▪The Strait of Malacca carries nearly 22% of the world's maritime trade according to the Center for Strategic and International Studies
• ▪Oil transported through the Strait of Malacca in the first half of 2025 accounted for 29% of total maritime oil flows

Security Risks and Vulnerabilities of the Waterway

• ▪Criminal attacks in the Strait of Malacca fell off in the first quarter of 2026 according to the ReCAAP Information Sharing Centre
• ▪Criminal attacks in the Strait of Malacca spiked to at least 104 in 2025 according to the ReCAAP Information Sharing Centre
• ▪At its narrowest point in the Phillips Channel of the Singapore Strait, the Strait of Malacca is only 1.7 miles (2.7 km) wide
• ▪Some parts of the Strait of Malacca are relatively shallow with a depth of 25-27 metres (82-90 ft)

Regional Cooperation and Governance of the Strait

• ▪Indonesian Finance Minister Purbaya Yudhi Sadewa publicly discussed ways countries could impose tolls on ships in the Strait of Malacca on April 22, 2026
• ▪Malaysian Foreign Minister Mohamad Hasan told a forum on April 22, 2026 that Malaysia is on the same page with Singapore, Indonesia and Thailand regarding the Strait of Malacca
• ▪Malaysian Foreign Minister Mohamad Hasan told a forum on April 22, 2026 that no unilateral decisions can be made about the Strait of Malacca

Perspective of China

• ▪A conflict in the South China Sea or Taiwan Strait could threaten China's access to 75% of its seaborne crude oil imports that transit through the Strait of Malacca