Strait of Malacca is suddenly at the centre of attention as Indonesia investigates whether ships should start paying tolls for passage. After the developments around the Strait of Hormuz, the 'T-word' seems to be spreading rapidly to other strategic shipping lanes.
The world's busiest strait has so far always been freely accessible. This could change if Indonesia follows through on its plans to play a greater economic role in global trade.
The idea for a toll was floated by Indonesia's finance minister during a conference on infrastructure. According to him, it is remarkable that ships are currently using a route essential to the global economy for free.
Indonesia has a large part of the coastline along the Strait of Malacca and sees an opportunity to generate revenue in this. At the same time, the country wants to coordinate with Malaysia and Singapore on this.
However, those countries are reacting cautiously. Singapore has already indicated its insistence on free shipping, while Malaysia immediately rejected the proposal.
The Strait of Malacca is one of the world's most important trade routes, through which thousands of ships pass every day.
The discussion is not limited to Asia. In the Red Sea, too, there is talk of possible tolls. There, the Houthis are said to be considering a move away from merely disrupting shipping to controlling it and generating revenue.
This development seems inspired by the situation in the Strait of Hormuz, where Iran has already generated revenue from tolls. The idea of tolls on international shipping lanes is thus gaining ground.
Yet there are major legal question marks. International rules guarantee free navigation, and experts point out that introducing tolls may violate these agreements.
For the logistics sector, these developments could have major consequences. Additional costs, uncertainty and possible delays make transport planning more complex.
If several strategic routes start charging tolls, this could lead to higher transport costs worldwide. Companies will then have to look again at routes and alternatives.
For logistics parties, it is therefore important to follow developments closely. You can read more about international transport flows on the sea freight page.
Whether the plans will actually be implemented is still uncertain. But that the idea of tolling is spreading across the world's oceans is now certain.