Over five hundred years ago, the Indonesian city of Makassar emerged as the bustling epicenter of trade, evolving into the largest city in the Southeast Asian Archipelago. Its prominence rested upon its control of the northwestern maritime gateway, the eponymous Makassar Strait – one of the world’s eight most vital straits.

This passage, threading through the heart of the Indonesian archipelago between Kalimantan and Sulawesi, serves as the nexus between the Pacific and Indian Oceans, a vital intercontinental maritime thoroughfare connecting Asia to Europe. While the nearby Malacca Strait basks in global recognition, the Makassar Strait holds its own significance, primarily due to its remarkable depth! With an average depth exceeding 960 meters, more than thirty times deeper than the Malacca Strait, it accommodates vessels of any size with ease.

Post the 1850s, following generations of mariner exploration, the Makassar Strait carved out two crucial maritime routes. One spans from the Far East to Australia, allowing Chinese, Japanese, and Australian merchant vessels to access the Indian Ocean. The other route extends from the Persian Gulf to Southeast Asia, onward to Japan, primarily serving the transport of petroleum while also shouldering the transit tasks of numerous bulk commodities.

Endowed with unparalleled geographic advantages, this strait attracted a persistent shroud of war clouds. In the 14th century, Portuguese colonizers made their presence known in the Makassar Strait. By 1660, Dutch colonizers launched an offensive against the Portuguese garrison in Makassar. During World War II, the iconic Battle of the Makassar Strait unfolded as the Japanese Combined Fleet vied for control of this crucial waterway. Embracing the belief that “he who controls the seas controls the world,” the U.S. Navy, in its pursuit of dominance, designated 16 global chokepoints, including the Makassar Strait. Today, both shores of the strait boast strategic naval bases, with Ujung Pandang (formerly Makassar) and Balikpapan harboring air and naval facilities, capturing the keen attention of nations within and beyond the South China Sea region.

Recently, U.S. submarines and warships have been transiting the Makassar Strait more frequently. Despite its picturesque sunsets, superb diving experiences, and thriving maritime trade, the military undercurrents in the region remain palpable. For the development of both shores, is this fate a blessing or a curse?