US warship passes through Malacca Strait, Indonesian Navy says
JAKARTA, April 20 (Reuters) – A U.S. warship passed through the Strait of Malacca over the weekend, the Indonesian Navy said on Monday, adding that “the passage through the major sea route was in accordance with international law.”
• The warship passed through the strait on the border of Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore on Saturday, April 18, Indonesian Navy spokesman First Admiral Tunggul told Reuters.
• Navy Commander Matthew Comer, a spokesman for the U.S. military’s Indo-Pacific Command, identified the warship as Japan-based USS Miguel Keith , which “conducts routine operations with the U.S. 7th Fleet” at sea.
• Comer did not provide details on the warship’s destination, citing the U.S. Navy’s policy of not discussing future operations or movements for security reasons, but said it underwent maintenance in South Korea in early April.
• The U.S. Navy describes the USS Miguel Keith as a 240-foot-long ship designed as a customizable floating command base that can launch helicopters and small boats and provide living quarters and command and control facilities for troops.
• The 900 km long Strait of Malacca connects Asia to the Middle East and Europe, carrying approximately 25% of world trade goods.
• “Any ships, including warships, transiting through waters ‘have rights of transit passage that can be exercised in a strait used for international navigation or international shipping,'” an Indonesian Navy spokesman said.
• Tunggul, Indonesian Navy said all ships using rights of passage must respect Indonesia as a coastal state and must not violate the International Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea.
(Reporting by Ananda Teresia in Jakarta and Tim Kelly in Tokyo; Editing by Gibran Peshimam and David Stanway)
