]YouTube embed. Click thumbnail to play.
China Just THREATENED The U.S. Navy, Then THIS HAPPENED….
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z6MmTczZ1R0
The Strait of Malacca is a 930 km (580 mi) long waterway connecting the Indian Ocean to the Pacific Ocean, situated between the Malay Peninsula (Malaysia, Thailand) and the Indonesian island of Sumatra. It serves as the shortest shipping route between these two oceans, handling over 94,000 vessels annually and carrying approximately 25% of global traded goods, including 35% of seaborne oil and 20% of natural gas as of 2024.
The strait is a critical strategic chokepoint with a minimum depth of 25 meters (82 ft) and a narrowest point of just 2.8 km (1.5 nautical miles) near the Phillip Channel in the Singapore Strait. This shallow depth and narrow width impose size limits on vessels, known as Malaccamax, and have led to significant geopolitical concerns, such as China's "Malacca dilemma" regarding energy security.
Key characteristics include:
Geography: It spans from the Andaman Sea in the northwest to the South China Sea in the northeast, with a width ranging from 65 km to 250 km. Economic Impact: The strait moves an estimated $3.5 trillion in goods per year, making its closure a potential global economic crisis. Security: Due to high traffic volume, the area faces concerns regarding modern piracy, smuggling, and terrorism, prompting increased naval patrols by coastal states Indonesia, Malaysia, and Singapore. History: Historically controlled by empires like Srivijaya (7th century) and the Malacca Sultanate (15th century), it remains a contested area for regional and global powers.
As we see the Saudi Arabia, Panama Canal, Venezuela, Iran, China, Russia, and City of London pieces of the international oil jigsaw puzzle snapping together, raise your hand if you're finding it easier and easier to Trust The Plan, Patriots.
Map and relevant post from this this morning
https://twitter.com/thomasbsauer/status/2043855731225448503
Why can't China just take the route west of Indonesia? Might be a few miles longer, maybe 200-300, but it would certainly keep their ships sailing instead of being bottlenecked inside of the strait.
https://imgs.search.brave.com/_3JjaDqToSdUXUf76CiIxxzEHK58hvBUq7e0RkqIHS8/rs:fit:500:0:1:0/g:ce/aHR0cHM6Ly91cGxv/YWQud2lraW1lZGlh/Lm9yZy93aWtpcGVk/aWEvY29tbW9ucy81/LzUyL0luZG9uZXNp/YV9tYXAucG5n
The vid shows the alternate route.
Thank you for the map.
Welcome, don't get lost. 🤔🤣
Of course they can. The travel time is an important issue, but it's only one aspect: the bigger issue is the reliability of the supply and supply route in times of crisis. If oil becomes critical during a war, not being able to rely on the Strait of Malacca not only means a longer route but also less security. If the Strait of Malacca is not open to them, the Strait of Sunda (between Java and Sumatra) would be closed as well. That's a lot of unfriendly seas to cross.
At that point they'd be better off with a pipeline from Iran, or through Burma, a theoretical canal across the southern part of Thailand, or just developing their own supplies.