Japan will donate three patrol boats to support security measures by three littoral countries of the Malacca Strait, an Indonesian senior official said Wednesday.

Coordinating Minister for Political, Legal and Security Affairs Widodo Adi Sucipto told reporters after meeting visiting Japanese Defense Agency Chief Fukushiro Nukaga that Japan promised to deliver three high-speed patrol boats to help Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore safeguard one of the world's busiest sea lines.

The boats are expected to arrive this year, he added,

Japan's commitment to help safeguard the strait had been earlier stated by Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi at a meeting with Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono in Tokyo last year.

According to data, 600 vessels and 11 million barrels of oil pass through the Malacca Strait each day. The strait is very prone to piracy and several governments have expressed concerns about possible major terrorist attacks targeting commercial ships along the strait.

The coordinated patrol operations in the Malacca Strait were first carried out by three littoral states within the framework of Malsindo launched in July 2004.

Source: Xinhua