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The shortest route between the Indian Ocean and East Asia and the largest oil flow of any chokepoint: 23.2 million barrels a day in the first half of 2025. Deep-draught ships and VLCCs must keep 3.5 m of water under the keel through the whole passage and slow to 12 knots in places. Going through the Sunda Strait adds about 625 nm between Ras Tanura and Ningbo; through Lombok and Makassar, about 1,237 nm.
| Item | Value | Conditions | As of | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| UKC | ≥ 3.5 m | DDV (draught ≥15 m) and VLCC (≥150k DWT), entire passage | 1 Dec 2019 | MPA (reproducing IMO SN/Circ.198) (A) |
| speed limit | ≤ 12 kn SOG | DDV/VLCC at One Fathom Bank, DW routes, westbound St John's–Raffles | 1 Dec 2019 | MPA (A) |
| max draught | not published m | must be derived from charted depth − 3.5 m | — (E) | |
| oil flow 1H25 | 23.2 (crude 16.6 / products 6.5) mb/d | 1H25 | EIA World Oil Transit Chokepoints (updated 2026-03-03; flows from Vortexa) (B) | |
| alternatives | Sunda (+625 nm Ras Tanura–Ningbo); Lombok–Makassar (+1,237 nm) nm | searoute 1.6.0 computation | Our route computation (searoute) (C) |