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Maritime Chokepoints

Geopolitical Significance for India

Maritime chokepoints are narrow strategic waterways through which large volumes of global trade and energy shipments must transit, making them geopolitically critical. Control over or disruption of a chokepoint can have cascading effects on global energy prices, trade costs, and the strategic leverage of littoral states. India's location in the Indian Ocean gives it proximity to several major chokepoints.

Key details

Strait of Hormuz: Located between Iran and Oman/UAE; ~39 km wide at narrowest; handles ~20% of global oil trade. Iran's strategic position on the northern shore gives it first-mover advantage.
Strait of Malacca: Located between Malaysia, Singapore, and Indonesia; handles ~25–30% of global trade including critical Chinese imports from the Middle East. India-Singapore cooperation is key to keeping this open.
Bab-el-Mandeb: Located between Yemen and Djibouti/Eritrea; connects the Red Sea to the Gulf of Aden; was the site of Houthi drone and missile attacks on commercial shipping since 2024.
Lombok Strait (Indonesia) and Sunda Strait: Alternate routes if Malacca is disrupted.
Cape of Good Hope: Not a chokepoint but the primary alternative when Hormuz/Red Sea routes are blocked; adds weeks and thousands of kilometres to voyages from Asia to Europe or vice versa.
India's naval doctrine (SAGAR — Security and Growth for All in the Region) emphasises Indian Ocean security, including freedom of navigation through these chokepoints.