US warship passes through Malacca Strait, Indonesian Navy says

JAKARTA, April 20 (Reuters) - A ‌United States ​warship passed ​through the Strait of Malacca over the weekend, the Indonesian Navy said on Monday, adding that the ‌transit through the major sea route was in accordance with ⁠international law.

• The warship passed through the strait, which borders Indonesia, Malaysia and ‌Singapore, on Saturday, April ‌18, Indonesian Navy spokesperson First Admiral Tunggul told Reuters.

• Navy Commander Matthew Comer, a spokesperson at the U.S. military's Indo-Pacific Command, ​identified the warship as the Japan-based USS Miguel Keith, which has been at sea "conducting routine operations in U.S. 7th Fleet."

• ⁠Comer did not provide details about the destination of the warship, citing U.S. Navy policy ​not to discuss future operations or movements for security reasons, but said it had undergone maintenance in ​South Korea in early April.

• The U.S. ‌Navy describes the USS Miguel Keith as a 240-meter-long vessel designed to be a customisable floating command ⁠base that can launch helicopters and small boats, provide living quarters for troops, and command-and-control facilities.

• The 900-km long Malacca Strait links Asia ⁠with the Middle East and Europe, carrying around 25% of the world's traded ​goods.

• "Any vessel including warships transiting in the waters has rights of transit passage which can be exercised in a strait used for international navigation or ‌international shipment," Indonesia's Navy spokesman said.

• The Indonesian Navy said that all vessels exercising their rights of ‌transit are obliged to respect Indonesia as a coastal state and ⁠must not violate International Regulations for ‌Preventing Collisions at Sea, ​Tunggul said.

(Reporting by Ananda Teresia in Jakarta and Tim Kelly in Tokyo; editing by Gibran Peshimam and ‌David Stanway)

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