Statement by Minister for Foreign Affairs Dr Vivian Balakrishnan on Reinforcing Cooperation for a Secure and Stable Maritime Domain, 23 September 2026

The openness of the maritime domain is both its strength and a source of shared vulnerability for all of us. In a modern economy, the transboundary flow of trade, energy and data is essential, and it is precisely the maritime domain that enables this.

But what happens at sea does not stay confined to the sea. Maritime choke points, disruptions to submarine cables, or even accidents involving “shadow fleets” or inadequately insured tankers, can rapidly have consequences far beyond where they occur.

The question, therefore, is: “How do we preserve an open, secure, and resilient maritime domain in an increasingly complex environment?” For Singapore, where trade is three times our GDP, this is an existential issue. The status of our maritime hub, our security, our prosperity depend on this openness.

The United Nations Convention of the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) is, and must remain, our common legal foundation. It establishes navigational rights and freedoms, including those related to submarine cables, and sets out the responsibilities of all States.

Transit passage through straits used for international navigation is a right under international law, as reflected in UNCLOS. It is not a privilege to be granted or a service for which we need to pay tolls for. This is why Singapore signed on to the “No Fees, No Tolls” pledge.

It is also worth remembering that the Third UN Conference on the Law of the Sea recognised the expansion of territorial sea breadth for coastal States to 12 nautical miles, but the compromise made was that for certain straits used for international navigation where high seas corridors would disappear with this expansion, there would be a special right of transit passage for ships and aircraft. We must hold on to that because it is not just a matter of paying fees. The real strategic agenda behind fees is the right to exercise a veto over passage through these straits, and that means strategic control and strategic dominance. That is what is at stake.

These rules must be matched by practical cooperation through maritime domain awareness, information sharing, operational cooperation, and the effective implementation of flag and port State obligations.

Singapore backs this with action. We work with fellow littoral States, user States, and the international community through the Cooperative Mechanism on Safety of Navigation and Environmental Protection (CM) in the Straits of Malacca and Singapore.

To enhance maritime security, we also share maritime information through the Information Fusion Centre and with the Regional Cooperation Agreement on Combating Piracy and Armed Robbery against Ships in Asia (ReCAAP) Information Sharing Centre, and work with regional partners through the Malacca Straits Patrol.

As the maritime environment evolves, our cooperation must evolve with it. On “shadow fleets”, we believe that there needs to be greater transparency in ship registration, ownership, and insurance to address the risks related to navigational safety and the marine environment. Singapore supports these efforts through information sharing, industry engagement, and domestic enforcement.

Similarly, on critical undersea infrastructure, resilience goes beyond protection. Governments, industry and international organisations need to work together on the life cycle of subsea cables, from deployment to maintenance and repair.

Singapore is doing our part as Chair of the ASEAN Working Group on Submarine Cables, which has strengthened regional guidelines to improve cable protection and expedite repairs.

We also launched the Guiding Principles for Underwater Infrastructure Defence Exchanges (GUIDE) in May 2026 with 16 other countries, to strengthen cross-regional cooperation on critical underwater infrastructure security.

Let me end again by reiterating that our task is to collectively preserve openness and security by coupling freedom with responsibility, rights with obligations, and rules with practical cooperation. Singapore stands ready to work with all partners to keep our seas open, secure and safe.

Thank you.

.    .    .    .    .

MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS

SINGAPORE

23 SEPTEMBER 2026