KUALA LUMPUR - Singapore will not negotiate with Iran for safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz as a matter of principle, said Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan on April 7.

Doing so would undermine the legal principle of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), to which Singapore is a signatory, he said during a parliamentary discussion on the Middle East conflict.

“There is a right of transit passage, it’s not a privilege to be granted by the bordering state.

“It’s not a licence to be subjugated at all. It is not a toll to be paid. It is a right of all nations’ ships to traverse,” said Balakrishnan. 

He added that Singapore views the right of transit passage as part of customary international law, saying that is not a ‘get out of jail free’ card for states that have not ratified UNCLOS.

Balakrishnan was also responding to WP MP Fadli Fawzi, who asked if Singapore is negotiating with Iran for safe passage or willing to pay a toll.

Some countries, including the Philippines, had Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi before the conflict, adding that they are sure to engage him in the near future.

“But as a matter of principle, and not because we’re taking sides, I cannot engage in negotiations for safe passage of ships or negotiate on toll rates,” he stressed.

The minister highlighted the importance of the Strait of Malacca, noting that more crude oil, refined oil, and container trade pass through Singapore than through the Strait of Hormuz.

He pointed out that the narrowest point in the Strait of Singapore is less than two nautical miles, compared with 21 nautical miles at the narrowest part of the Strait of Hormuz.

“Do you understand now why we have to take a categorical position that international law and UNCLOS is the Constitution of the oceans?” Balakrishnan said.

The Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore continues to coordinate with owners and operators of Singapore flagged ships in the Persian Gulf and explore safe transit options with regional partners.

Minister in charge of Energy and Science & Technology Tan See Leng addressed MPs’ questions on energy security, saying Singapore is negotiating with neighbouring countries and exploring renewable energy imports.

Singapore has conditionally approved about 8.35 gigawatts of renewable energy projects, surpassing its original 6-gigawatt target, from countries including Australia, Cambodia, Indonesia, Sarawak (Malaysia), and Vietnam.

On nuclear energy, Tan said Singapore can be a fast adopter but not a first mover, stressing, they will never put the population at risk of adopting a first of a kind technology.

On oil reserves, he reassured that Singapore has enough stock to last for months, meeting international standards for emergency energy resilience.