The Strait of Malacca, a chokepoint for world trade

In the picture

1. 1Container ship: carries manufactured goods in standard boxes between continents
2. 2Oil tanker: carries crude oil from the Gulf to the big economies of East Asia
3. 3Narrowest point of the strait: a chokepoint where ships have to queue in tight shipping lanes
4. 4Port with cranes: a hub where containers are loaded, unloaded and moved onto other ships

Examples

• A smartphone assembled in China crosses straits like Malacca and Suez in a container on its way to a shop in Europe.
• In 2021 the container ship Ever Given got stuck in the Suez Canal for six days, holding up hundreds of ships and delaying deliveries around the world.

Quiz: The Strait of Malacca, a chokepoint for world trade (Age 18)

1. 1

   Why can a blockage in the Strait of Malacca slow down trade in places far away from it?

   • Because most of the world’s container ports are built along its shores
   • Because much of the oil and container traffic between Asia, the Middle East and Europe has to pass through it
   • Because it connects the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific, so all trade with the Americas depends on it
2. 2

   Roughly how much of world trade, by volume, travels by sea?

   • About 80%
   • About 30%
   • About 50%
3. 3

   What makes chokepoints such as Malacca, Hormuz, Suez and Panama strategic?

   • They are the only places where large ships are allowed to refuel
   • Whoever controls or disrupts them can affect the whole world economy
   • They are the deepest sea routes, so only the biggest ships use them

The answers, each with its explanation, are in the app. This lesson has left the free week, so its quiz is part of the subscription.