The United States offered to help ensure security in the pirate-plagued Malacca Straits as it renewed a defence pact with Malaysia, Defence Minister Najib Abdul Razak said.

US Deputy Secretary of State Robert Zoellick made the offer after witnessing the renewal of the Acquisition and Cross-Servicing Agreement (ACSA), a 10-year military logistics cooperation pact.

"Zoellick was very pleased with the level of cooperation given by Malaysia in the field of tackling terrorism, especially in our Counter Terrorism Centre, our domestic efforts to eliminate terrorism and our role in the region to reduce terrorism and conflicts," Najib said.

Zoellick had also touched on the sensistive issue of security in the Malacca Straits, where pirate attacks have raised fears terrorists could hijack an oil tanker and use it as an enormous bomb.

Najib said Zoellick had offered help which would not undermine the sovereignty of the three states bordering the busy shipping lane - Malaysia, Indonesia and Singapore.

Port security initiative

Malaysia has in the past rejected suggestions that the US or other foreign navies be allowed to help patrol the straits.

"It (the United States) wants to help out without affecting the sovereignty of the states, and the US recognises that they do not want to undermine the principles of sovereignty in this area," Najib was quoted as saying by the official Bernama news agency.

"In what way and what areas they want to help is for the US to consider," he said.

Later Zoellick said the US recognised the responsibility for the Malacca Straits was under the littoral states but it was prepared to provide capacity building to enhance security in the vital waterway.

"Obviously, we respect the role of the littoral states as the players with the responsibility for maritime security.

"So what we were exploring is ways that the United States and others might be able to develop some of the capacity to be able to gain information in real time so that countries in the littoral states can act against issues of piracy and crime," he said.

The Malacca Straits is one of the busiest shipping lanes in the world, funnelling about a quarter of the world's trade, or 50,000 vessels a year.

Najib also said Malaysia had agreed to participate in the US port security initiative which aims to tighten security on all cargo heading for the United States. This programme would not involve an American presence in the region.

Malaysia has said in the past that the presence of US forces in the Malacca Straits would heighten the risk of terrorism rather than reduce it.