According to a notice from the Ministry of Transport, the security level for Chinese vessels sailing through the
Strait of Malacca has been upgraded to its highest, Level Three.
Other highly strategic waterways include the
Strait of Malacca between Singapore and Indonesia, the Suez Canal in Egypt and the Bab-el-Mandeb strait, which connects the Red Sea to the Gulf of Aden.
Indian naval planners have responded with a doctrine to ensure freedom of movement throughout the Indian Ocean, stretching from the Strait of Hormuz to the
Strait of Malacca.The Romeos would replenish India's ageing fleet of British-made Sea King helicopters.
"Iranian tankers have become a burden from the Suez Canal to the
Strait of Malacca and all the checkpoints between them.
The former BN government had last year touted the double-track railway as a game changer, claiming it would allow people and goods to be transported from Kuantan Port to Port Klang, Malaysia's main shipping hub in the
Strait of Malacca.
That port offers China a direct path to the Indian Ocean from Southwest China, bypassing the
Strait of Malacca.
The Indian Ocean routes are strategically significant for world's trade such as the Strait of Hormuz, the Strait of Mendoza and the
Strait of Malacca.
Located between Indonesia and Malaysia, the
Strait of Malacca is a vital shipping route connecting the northern Indian Ocean and the South China Sea, with more than 100,000 cargo ships passing through each year.
McCain crashed into a commercial vessel in the
Strait of Malacca off the coast of Singapore in August.
The McCain suffered a steering failure as the warship was beginning its approach into the
Strait of Malacca, causing it to collide with a commercial tanker, a Navy official told CNN.