# Strait of Malacca: Live Map, Shipping Status and News Updated 16:17 UTC, 29 Oct 2026. Canonical: https://monitorworld.app/live/strait-of-malacca MonitorWorld's chokepoint model rates the Strait of Malacca GREEN (normal) with a disruption score of 0/100 as of 16:17 UTC. The strait between Malaysia and Sumatra is the world's busiest oil chokepoint: the US EIA estimates that 23.2 million barrels a day passed it in the first half of 2025, 29% of all oil moved by sea. A record 102,525 ships transited it in 2025. ## Key numbers - Status (our chokepoint model): **GREEN** - Disruption score: **0/100** - Media reports, past 7 days: **0** - Narrowest channel: **~2.7 km** (Phillips Channel, Singapore Strait) ## Strait of Malacca news: latest reports No media reports about the strait in the past 7 days. ## Key context ### Why the Strait of Malacca matters The strait is the shortest route between the Indian Ocean and the Pacific. In the first half of 2025 it carried an estimated 23.2 million barrels of oil a day, more than the Strait of Hormuz (20.9 million), and slightly more than 70% of that was crude oil ([EIA](https://www.eia.gov/international/analysis/special-topics/World_Oil_Transit_Chokepoints), updated March 2026). Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Kuwait and Iraq supplied nearly 60% of the crude, and China took 48% of the import volumes. Traffic keeps rising: Malaysian Marine Department data show 102,525 transits by ships over 300 gross tonnes in 2025, up 8.7% from 94,301 in 2024 (reported by Seatrade Maritime). Container ships between Asia and Europe, crude tankers from the Gulf and bulk carriers all share the same lanes, which narrow to about 2.7 km in the Phillips Channel off Singapore. ### Piracy and sea robbery The Regional Cooperation Agreement on Combating Piracy (ReCAAP) counted 108 incidents in the Straits of Malacca and Singapore in 2025, the most since 2007; 107 were in the Singapore Strait and one in the Strait of Malacca ([ReCAAP ISC](https://www.recaap.org/resources/ck/files/news/2026/Press%20release%20-%20ReCAAP%20ISC%20annual%20report%20(2025)%20-FINAL.pdf)). The number fell sharply in 2026: 21 incidents in the two straits in January to June, against 80 a year earlier, and 23 in January to September ([SAFETY4SEA](https://safety4sea.com/recaap-isc-q3-58-drop-in-asian-piracy-and-armed-robbery-incidents/)). ### Malacca and the 2026 Iran war Most crude that passes Malacca starts in the Persian Gulf, so the restrictions on the Strait of Hormuz since the war began on 28 February 2026 reach Asia through this strait. The strait itself is open, and our model rates it on threat level, navigational warnings and disruption signals, not on cargo volumes. For the Gulf side, see the [Strait of Hormuz map](https://monitorworld.app/live/strait-of-hormuz); for tanker routes and sanctions, the [oil tanker tracker](https://monitorworld.app/live/oil-tanker-tracker). ### All 13 chokepoints right now | Chokepoint | Status | Score | | --- | --- | --- | | Suez Canal | YELLOW | 30 | | Strait of Malacca | GREEN | 0 | | Strait of Hormuz | RED | 70 | | Bab el-Mandeb | YELLOW | 40 | | Panama Canal | GREEN | 0 | | Taiwan Strait | YELLOW | 20 | | Cape of Good Hope | GREEN | 15 | | Strait of Gibraltar | GREEN | 15 | | Bosporus Strait | YELLOW | 25 | | Korea Strait | GREEN | 0 | | Dover Strait | GREEN | 15 | | Kerch Strait | RED | 70 | | Lombok Strait | GREEN | 0 | ## FAQ ### Where is the Strait of Malacca? Between the Malay Peninsula (Malaysia) and the Indonesian island of Sumatra. It runs about 800 to 900 km from the Andaman Sea in the north-west to Singapore in the south-east, where it joins the Singapore Strait and the South China Sea. ### Why is the Strait of Malacca so important? It is the shortest sea route between the Indian Ocean and the Pacific, so oil from the Persian Gulf and goods between Europe, the Middle East and East Asia pass through it. The US EIA estimates 23.2 million barrels of oil per day used the strait in the first half of 2025, 29% of all oil moved by sea and more than any other chokepoint. ### How many ships pass through the Strait of Malacca? A record 102,525 transits of ships over 300 gross tonnes in 2025, the first year above 100,000 and 8.7% more than the 94,301 of 2024, according to Malaysian Marine Department data compiled by the Nippon Maritime Center (reported by Seatrade Maritime). That is about 280 ships a day. ### How wide is the Strait of Malacca? The navigable channel is narrowest in the Phillips Channel of the Singapore Strait, at about 2.7 km (1.7 miles), as reported by Reuters in April 2026. The main strait is much wider, but shallow water limits the deepest ships. ### Is the Strait of Malacca dangerous? What about piracy? ReCAAP counted 108 piracy and armed robbery incidents in the Straits of Malacca and Singapore in 2025, the most since 2007; 107 of them were in the Singapore Strait and one in the Strait of Malacca. In the first half of 2026 the count fell to 21. Our chokepoint model rates the strait GREEN (normal) today. ### What is the Malacca dilemma? A term used since the early 2000s for China's dependence on the strait: most of its imported oil arrives through it, so a blockade there would hit China's economy. The EIA says China took 48% of the oil import volumes passing the strait in the first half of 2025. China has built pipelines through Myanmar and from Russia and Central Asia partly to reduce that risk. ### What are the alternatives to the Strait of Malacca? The Sunda Strait and the Lombok Strait through Indonesia, or a longer route around the archipelago. Tankers too deep for Malacca already use Lombok. An oil pipeline also carries Middle Eastern crude from Myanmar to south-west China. ## Get the app MonitorWorld is free on iPhone and Android, rated 4.7 from 52 ratings on the US App Store. - App Store: https://apps.apple.com/app/id6760610225 - Google Play: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=app.monitorworld ## Sources - [MonitorWorld chokepoint model](https://monitorworld.app/sources): status (green / yellow / red) and a 0-100 disruption score from a threat baseline, navigational warnings and AIS disruption signals. A risk rating, not an official notice. - [The GDELT Project (DOC 2.0 API)](https://www.gdeltproject.org/): media reports, matched by keyword. Headlines link to the publisher; MonitorWorld does not verify them. - [MonitorWorld news digest](https://monitorworld.app/sources): headlines from public news feeds (Reuters, AP, BBC, Al Jazeera and others), severity rated by our model. Each headline links to the publisher. - [UCDP Candidate Events Dataset](https://ucdp.uu.se/): Uppsala Conflict Data Program, CC BY 4.0. Candidate (preliminary) events to 31 Dec 2024, not live. Fatalities are UCDP best / low / high estimates. - [U.S. Energy Information Administration, World Oil Transit Chokepoints](https://www.eia.gov/international/analysis/special-topics/World_Oil_Transit_Chokepoints): oil flow per chokepoint from 2020 to the first half of 2025 (last updated 3 March 2026). Public domain. - [ReCAAP Information Sharing Centre](https://www.recaap.org/resources/ck/files/news/2026/Press%20release%20-%20ReCAAP%20ISC%20annual%20report%20(2025)%20-FINAL.pdf): piracy and armed robbery incidents against ships in Asia, 2025 annual report and 2026 updates. Cited, not republished. ## Related - [Oil tanker tracker](https://monitorworld.app/live/oil-tanker-tracker): Oil chokepoint status, oil flows and a sanctioned-tanker check. - [Strait of Hormuz map](https://monitorworld.app/live/strait-of-hormuz): Chokepoint status, media reports and key facts. - [Taiwan Strait map](https://monitorworld.app/live/taiwan-strait): China drills, delayed military aircraft and news. - [Shadow fleet tracker](https://monitorworld.app/live/shadow-fleet-tracker): Sanctioned tankers from US and UK lists, seizures and attacks. - [Bab el-Mandeb Strait](https://monitorworld.app/live/bab-el-mandeb): Red Sea gate: Houthi attacks and shipping status. - [Suez Canal live](https://monitorworld.app/live/suez-canal): Canal status, the Red Sea diversion and shipping news.