Singapore and Malaysia are discussing the possibility of providing security on ships plying the Malacca Strait to guard against terrorist attacks, Singapore's Deputy Prime Minister Tony Tan said today.

Tan, who is also coordinating minister for security and defence, said he discussed the possibility during talks with Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi and Deputy Prime Minister Najib Razak in Malaysia last month.

"They are very keen in order to see how we can further strengthen security in the Straits of Malacca and the Straits of Singapore, possibly by moving from coordinated patrols to having some security presence on ships passing through these vital straits," Tan said.

"Talks are going on now. I think that we will see further development in this area," he told reporters after addressing a national security seminar and launching a book on the terrorist threat.

Singapore, Indonesia and Malaysia in July began coordinated patrols in the Malacca Straits, a narrow waterway that hosts one of the the world's busiest shipping lanes.

Tan said 50,000 ships carrying half of the world's oil supplies and one third of global trade pass through the strait each year and any successful terrorist strike will have international implications.

Maritime security

Singapore has expressed fears pirates could team up with terrorists and mount a devastating attack on the strait to cripple global trade.

"I think there is much greater awareness now in this region - in Indonesia, Malaysia and certainly in Singapore about the importance of maritime security and what we all need to do in order to keep this region safe," Tan said.

"It is something which we should never let our eyes off," he said, adding that two pirate attacks off the Indonesian coast this week served as reminders of the dangers faced by regional authorities.

Tan also said the three neighbours can make arrangements to allow their ships to pursue pirates in each other's territorial waters.

He said that any measures to protect shipping in the strait must recognise the sovereignty of the surrounding countries, but added they should also work with other trading nations like the United States and Japan.

Malaysia has objected to the presence of any foreign troops in the straits.