For more than 20 years, Malaysia had claimed certain waters west of Tuas as its own and acknowledged that Singapore’s waters lay beyond that, Transport Minister Khaw Boon Wan said yesterday.

But in expanding the Johor Baru port limits recently, Malaysia extended its claims into Singapore waters, he added, showing this development in a series of charts.

“They never made a claim on this area. These are our waters,” he said.

“But now, on Oct 25, they decided to cross their own claim boundaries into Singapore waters and claim them as their waters.”

Singapore’s expansion of its port limits yesterday covers more or less the same area that Malaysia suddenly laid claim to on Oct 25.

Singapore’s message is clear: “Back off” because these waters belong to Singapore, Mr Khaw added.

He explained that where there are ports, it is common for limits to be marked to make clear where port activities such as bunkering take place. Ships that call at the port also park within the demarcated zone.

Malaysian vessel in Singapore waters

Footage of a Malaysian government vessel in Singapore territorial waters off Tuas was released by the Singapore Government yesterday. The incident was among 14 intrusions by Malaysian ships into Singapore waters since Oct 25, which Singapore has protested against, Transport Minister Khaw Boon Wan said at a media conference yesterday. The 2½-minute video comprises several clips. In a clip taken from Republic of Singapore Navy littoral mission vessel RSS Independence, a naval officer in the video can be heard saying: “This is RSS Independence. May I know your intention? You are passing very close starboard to starboard and not adhering to Colregs, you should pass port to port. You are not adhering to Colregs. What is your intention, over.” Colregs refers to International Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea, published by the International Maritime Organisation. Another clip, also taken from RSS Independence, shows a Malaysian craft being asked to leave “Singapore territorial waters immediately”. A Police Coast Guard officer can be heard telling the craft that its actions are “in violation of the right of passage under international law”. PHOTO: MINDEF

Mr Khaw said: “So, each country declares its own port limits, but obviously, you can only declare port limits within your own territories. You cannot be drawing port limits into my land, for example.”

Countries are free to define and adjust their port limits, he said.

“You don’t need to get approval from your neighbours because it is within your territory – and that is the bottom line. You can only define port limits within your own boundaries,” he stressed.

Pointing to a chart showing Sin-gapore’s expanded port limits, Mr Khaw said during a media briefing: “We are expanding our port limits by this shaded area. But unlike the Malaysian adjustments, ours is within our own territorial waters.”

He stressed: “We do it properly, in accordance with international law, and certainly do not infringe on our neighbour’s rights.”

The last time Singapore amended its port limits was in 1997.

Asked what the Republic will do if neighbouring and other countries refuse to accept the expanded port limits, Mr Khaw said: “They have to comply. They must comply. This is our waters.”

He stressed that Singapore will not hesitate to take “firm actions against intrusions and unauthorised activities in our waters to protect our territory and sovereignty”.

Mr Khaw said that for more than 20 years, Singapore has exercised jurisdiction over its territorial waters, including its port limits.

“Our security vessels patrol this area. We do it all the time, and whenever there are intrusions, we chase them away, we protest, we enforce. This is our area.

“They knew our activities – ‘they’ meaning Malaysia. They are familiar with our activities for more than 20 years. They never protested. They never made a claim on this area,” he said.

“Now, out of the blue, Malaysia is claiming these territorial waters that belong to Singapore… Malaysia is seeking to alter unilaterally the long-standing status quo in the area,” Mr Khaw added.

He noted there have been 14 intrusions into Singapore territorial waters off Tuas since Nov 24, and showed a video detailing some of these instances.

“Our security agencies are enforcing this area, informing them, telling them to get out, move away, and so on,” he said. “Against all these aggressions, we have been extremely restrained, but I think we have a job to do… If need be, we will take more firm actions.”

Mr Khaw did not say what these actions could include.

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