Murali Pillai: “Seafarers have always sailed the open seas which connect all corners of the world. This freedom is today under threat.”

Today, we need more than ever to safeguard and uphold the right of transit passage through straits used for international navigation.

We face geopolitical tensions, climate-related disruptions and emerging technological risks. When the freedom and safety of navigation are threatened, it is seafarers, and their families, who bear the real human cost.

As a small island nation whose prosperity depends on open, secure and well-functioning sea lanes, including the Straits of Malacca and Singapore, maritime safety is fundamental to our way of life.