Editing Strait of Malacca (section)

==Shipping hazards==
{{See also|Piracy in the Strait of Malacca}}
[[Piracy]] has been a problem in the strait. Piracy had been high in the 2000s, with additional increase after the events of September 11, 2001.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Raymond|first=Catherine|year=2009|title=PIRACY AND ARMED ROBBERY IN THE MALACCA STRAIT: A Problem Solved?|journal=Naval War College Review|volume=62|pages=31–42|via=Proquest}}</ref> After attacks rose again in the first half of 2004, regional navies stepped up their patrols of the area in July&nbsp;2004. Subsequently, attacks on ships in the Strait of Malacca dropped, to 79 in 2005 and 50 in 2006.<ref>[http://www.joc.com/maritime-news/piracy-down-3rd-year-row-imb-report_20070122.html Piracy down 3rd year in row: IMB report] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131217221649/https://www.joc.com/maritime-news/piracy-down-3rd-year-row-imb-report_20070122.html |date=2013-12-17 }}, Journal of Commerce Online, January 23, 2007</ref> Attacks have dropped to near zero in recent years.<ref>{{cite web|date=21 April 2011|title=Drastic drop in piracy in Malacca Straits|url=http://maritimesecurity.asia/free-2/piracy-2/drastic-drop-in-piracy-in-malacca-straits/|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171107012031/http://maritimesecurity.asia/free-2/piracy-2/drastic-drop-in-piracy-in-malacca-straits/|archive-date=7 November 2017|access-date=28 April 2018|website=maritimesecurity.asia}}</ref>

There are 34&nbsp;[[shipwreck]]s, some dating to the 1880s, in the local TSS channel (the channel for commercial ships under the global [[Traffic Separation Scheme]]). These pose a collision hazard in the narrow and shallow strait.<ref>{{cite web|last=Ali|first=Sharidan Mohd Ali|date=2 January 2006|title=34 wrecks in sealane threaten passing ships<!-- Bot generated title -->|url=http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2006/1/2/maritime/12941448&sec=maritime|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081012073905/http://thestar.com.my:80/news/story.asp?file=/2006/1/2/maritime/12941448&sec=maritime|archive-date=12 October 2008|access-date=28 April 2018|website=thestar.com.my}}</ref>

On 20 August 2017, the [[United States Navy]] [[destroyer]] {{USS|John S. McCain|DDG-56|6}} lost ten of its crew's lives in a [[USS John S. McCain and Alnic MC collision|collision with the merchant ship]] ''[[Alnic MC]]'' a short distance east of the strait whilst full steering capabilities had been lost. The ship had made a series of errors in attempted mitigation, its external lights being changed to "red over red" ("vessel not under command").<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.navy.mil/submit/display.asp?story_id=102034|title=UPDATE: USS John S. McCain Collides with Merchant Ship|first=This story was written by U.S. 7th Fleet Public|last=Affairs|website=navy.mil|access-date=28 April 2018|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171105081658/http://www.navy.mil/submit/display.asp?story_id=102034|archive-date=5 November 2017}}</ref>

[[Image:Malaysian Haze 2005 Aerosol Index.jpg|thumb|right|Yearly [[haze]] from the smoke of raging bush fires, limiting visibility.]]
Another risk is the annual [[haze]] due to wildfires in [[Sumatra]], [[Indonesia]]. It may reduce visibility to {{convert|200|m}}, forcing ships to slow in the busy strait. The strait is frequently used by [[List of largest container ships|ships longer than {{convert|350|m}}]].<ref>{{cite book |last1=Nachmani |first1=Amikam |title=Turkey: facing a new millennium: Coping with Intertwined Conflicts (Europe in Change) |date=November 8, 2003 |publisher=Manchester University Press |location=Manchester, United Kingdom |isbn=9780719063701 }}</ref>