April 24, 2026 | 05:52 pm
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Indonesia’s Ministry of Defense said there was no violation of international law in the passage of a United States warship through the Malacca Strait, stressing that the route is an established international transit corridor.
Brig. Gen. TNI Rico Ricardo Sirait, head of the ministry’s information bureau, said the strait forms part of Indonesia’s Archipelagic Sea Lanes (ALKI), which allow for international navigation.
“The Malacca Strait is an international transit route. The Indonesian Archipelagic Sea Lanes it crossed are designated for freedom of navigation,” Rico said at the Defense Ministry headquarters in Jakarta on Friday, April 24, 2026.
He added that the Indonesian Armed Forces (TNI) had also provided an explanation regarding the vessel’s presence, without elaborating further.
The US vessel, USS Miguel Keith, was detected in waters east of Belawan on April 18 at around 3 p.m. local time. Indonesian Navy spokesperson Rear Adm. Tunggul said the ship was conducting a transit passage.
Under international law, ships, including military vessels, are allowed to pass through straits used for international navigation under the right of transit passage, provided the movement is continuous and expeditious, he said.
Foreign Minister Sugiono described the vessel’s presence as part of routine regional patrol activity. Based on Automatic Identification System (AIS) data, the ship was observed heading northwest at a speed of about 13.1 knots.
“I think they are just conducting a regular patrol in the area,” Sugiono said at the Presidential Palace complex in Jakarta on April 22.
He added that such movements are common and often linked to freedom of navigation operations, particularly those conducted by the United States to assert navigation rights in international waters.
The Malacca Strait is one of the world’s busiest shipping lanes, connecting major global trade routes and frequently used by both commercial and military vessels.
Ervana Trikanaputri contributed to the writing of this article.
Read: Indonesia: US Warship in Malacca Strait for Regional Patrol
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