Singapore Strait

Map of the Singapore Strait.

The Singapore Strait, as seen from East Coast Park.

The Singapore Strait, as seen from Marina Bay Sands.

The Singapore Strait (or Straits of Singapore; simplified Chinese: 新加坡海峡; traditional Chinese: 星加坡海峽; pinyin: Xīnjiāpō Hǎixiá Malay: Selat Singapura) is a 105-kilometer long, 16-kilometer wide strait between the Strait of Malacca in the west and the South China Sea in the east. Singapore is on the north of the channel and the Riau Islands are on the south. The Indonesia-Singapore border lies along the length of the straits.

It includes Keppel Harbour and many small islands. The strait provides the deepwater passage to the Port of Singapore, which makes it very busy.

The depth of the Singapore Strait defines the maximum draft of vessels going through the Straits of Malacca, and the Malaccamax ship class.

Historical References

The 9th century AD Muslim author Ya'qubi referred to Singapore Straits as the Sea of Salahit, one of the Seven Seas to be transversed to reach China.

Second World War

It was mined during the Second World War.

Accidents

In 2009 the Maersk Kendal grounded on the Monggok Sebarok reef.

Extent

The International Hydrographic Organization defines the limits of the Singapore Strait as follows:

On the West. The Eastern limit of Malacca Strait [A line joining Tanjong Piai (Bulus), the Southern extremity of the Malay Peninsula () and The Brothers () and thence to Klein Karimoen ()].

On the East. A line joining Tanjong Datok, the Southeast point of Johore () through Horsburgh Reef to Pulo Koko, the Northeastern extreme of Bintan Island ().

On the North. The Southern shore of Singapore Island, Johore Shoal and the Southeastern coast of the Malay Peninsula.

On the South. A line joining Klein Karimoen to Pulo Pemping Besar () thence along the Northern coasts of Batam and Bintan Islands to Pulo Koko.

Pilot guides and charts

Pilot guides and charts of the Malacca and Singapore straits have been published for a considerable time due to the nature of the straits

Further reading

• Borschberg, Peter, "Singapura in Early Modern Cartography: A Sea of Challenges", in Visualising Space. Maps of Singapore and the Region. Collections from the National Library and National Archives of Singapore (Singapore: NLB, 2015): 6-33. https://www.academia.edu/8681191
• Borschberg, Peter, The Singapore and Melaka Straits. Violence, Security and Diplomacy in the 17th Century, Singapore and Leiden: NUS Press and KITLV Press, 2010. https://www.academia.edu/4302722
• Borschberg, Peter, Jacques de Coutre's Singapore and Johor, 1595-c1625, Singapore: NUS Press, 2015. https://www.academia.edu/9672124
• Borschberg, Peter, Admiral Matelieff's Singapore and Johor, 1606-1616, Singapore, 2015. https://www.academia.edu/11868450
• Borschberg, Peter, “The Singapore Straits in the Latter Middle Ages and Early Modern Period (c.13th to 17th Centuries). Facts, Fancy and Historiographical Challenges”, Journal of Asian History, 46.2 (2012): 193-224. https://www.academia.edu/4285020
• Borschberg, Peter, “The Straits of Singapore: Continuity, Change and Confusion”, in Sketching the Straits. A Compilation of the Lecture Series on the Charles Dyce Collection, ed. Irene Lim (Singapore: NUS Museums, 2004): 33-47. https://www.academia.edu/4311413
• Borschberg, Peter, “Fictitious Strait and Imagined Island: Singapura in the late 16th and early 17th century”, Oriente, 18 (2007): 45-67. https://www.academia.edu/4302969
• Gibson-Hill, Carl-Alexander, "Singapore: Note on the History of the Old Straits, 1580–1850", Journal of the Malayan Branch of the Royal Asiatic Society, 27.1 (1954): 165-214.

See also

• Malaccamax
• Straits of Johor