Di antara jalan air antarabangsa yang paling penting sejak abad ke-7, Selat Melaka menghubungkan Lautan Hindi dengan Lautan Pasifik, menghubungkan ekonomi Asia utama India, China, Jepun, Korea Selatan dan ASEAN dengan seluruh dunia. Pertumbuhan luar biasa dalam perdagangan antarabangsa telah menghasilkan peningkatan yang sama dalam jumlah lalu lintas komersial yang melintasi jalan laut utama ini.
Antara tahun 2000 dan 2010, jumlah kapal dagang melebihi 300 GRT menggunakan Selat meningkat hampir 37 peratus. Kapal tangki LNG / LPG yang menggunakan Selat mencatat pertumbuhan 26 peratus dari 2,962 menjadi 3,726 sementara kapal kargo kontena dan am meningkat 41 peratus dalam tempoh yang sama. Angka-angka ini tidak termasuk lalu lintas silang dan jenis kapal lain yang melalui jalan air. Di samping itu, hampir 50 peratus penghantaran tenaga global melalui Selat setiap tahun. Walaupun mencerminkan pertumbuhan positif dan relevansi Selat dalam memfasilitasi perdagangan internasional, ini juga menimbulkan sejumlah tantangan dalam mengimbangi daya maju ekonomi dan kelestarian alam sekitar kawasan tersebut.
The Straits is not only a shipping lane. It is home to both living and non living natural assets such as fisheries, mangrove forests, and coral reefs. It is a thriving mariculture and recreation resource centre, generating a wide range of marine life support systems as well as a critical source of economic livelihood for its coastal inhabitants. These assets are under tremendous pressure as the Straits becomes busier each year. Oil and chemical pollution, ballast water and solid waste discharges, vessel accidents and incidents are major threats to this delicate balance which if not properly managed, have the potential to adversely affect the livelihood of the surrounding communities and threaten the nation’s long term economic sustainability.
The Centre for the Straits of Malacca (CSOM) was launched by YAB Dato’ Sri Mohd. Najib Tun Abdul Razak on 21st October 2008. It marked the beginning of a new chapter for MIMA especially in elevating the management paradigm of the Straits towards transforming it into a modern and dynamic maritime passageway. CSOM’s vision is to be a one-stop centre of excellence for research and an authoritative source on matters pertaining to the Straits and its connected waterways.
SOM is dedicated towards realizing a common vision for the Straits of Malacca by littoral states and stakeholders aimed at enhancing the management of the Straits and its viability as an economic catalyst for the region. The Centre’s research focuses on promoting the Straits’ economic sustainability, navigational safety and security, safeguarding its marine and maritime environment, clarification of transit passage issues as well as encouraging policy and management initiatives to foster the socio-economic and strategic development of the Straits. CSOM’s “Profile of the Straits of Malacca: Malaysia’s Perspective” outlines Malaysia’s vision and definition of the Straits from several key aspects and the myriad issues currently facing the Straits.
