Eric Watkins
Senior correspondent
LOS ANGELES, June 2 -- South Korea's President Roh Moo-hyun urged the United Nations International Maritime Organization (IMO) to increase security for South Korean oil tankers passing through the Malacca Strait in Southeast Asia.
The narrow, 960-km strait, bordered by Malaysia, Singapore, and Indonesia, is one of the world's busiest shipping lanes and a particularly strong magnet for attacks by pirates or terrorists. About 50,000 ships/year use the strait while carrying a third of the world's traded goods and half its oil supplies.
According to IMO, any serious disruption to the flow of maritime traffic through this channel would do widespread harm, presenting ships with a detour of about 1,000 km, raising freight rates, and lifting costs of goods and commodities.
Last November, IMO said it would convene a high-level conference to consider ways of enhancing safety, security, and environmental protection in the Straits of Malacca and Singapore.