The Strait of Malacca and Singapore Strait grow so shallow in places that fully laden supertankers carrying a quarter of the world’s seaborne oil are required to keep at least three and a half metres of water beneath their keels — about the height of a one-storey room — and squat and swell can quietly shave even that

The Strait of Malacca and Singapore Strait carry roughly a quarter of global oil shipments through a channel so shallow that fully laden supertankers pass with only a metre or two of water beneath their keels — a clearance thinner than a kitchen countertop. The post The Strait of Malacca and Singapore Strait grow so shallow in places that fully laden supertankers carrying a quarter of the world’s seaborne oil are required to keep at least three and a half metres of water beneath their keels — ab