Malaysia and Singapore mutually suspend overlapping port limits

SINGAPORE — Malaysia and Singapore have mutually suspended the implementation of their overlapping port limits, the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) said in a statement on Monday (April 8).

The suspension took place at a minute past midnight on Monday.

As such, Malaysia and Singapore have applied their port limits in effect prior to Oct 25 and Dec 6 last year respectively, said MPA.

The move to suspend the overlapping port limits was among five recommendations made by a bilateral working group on maritime issues, agreed upon by Singapore’s Foreign Affairs Minister Vivian Balakrishnan and his Malaysian counterpart Saifuddin Abdullah on March 14, to reduce tensions on the ground.

The maritime dispute began when Malaysia unilaterally extended its Johor Baru port limits into Singapore’s territorial waters off Tuas on Oct 25 last year.

In response, Singapore extended its own port limits off Tuas on Dec 6, which it argued was done in accordance with international law, and that the extended port limits remained well within Singapore’s waters.

Other recommendations made by the working group include agreeing not to authorise and to suspend all commercial activities in the area as well as not to anchor any government vessels in the area.

Vessels of both countries will operate in the area based on international law.

In addition, both sides agreed to set up a joint committee chaired by the permanent secretary of Singapore's Ministry of Foreign Affairs Chee Wee Kiong and Malaysia’s foreign ministry secretary-general Muhammad Shahrul Ikram Yaakob to address the issue of maritime boundary delimitation.

The two countries agreed to implement all five recommendations within a month from March 14.