The Greek government announced it would give US$1 million to help secure the Strait of Malacca, a vital shipping route in southeast Asia hit hard by piracy.

Greek Merchant Marine Minister Georges Voulgarakis made the announcement during a meeting of the 162-member UN agency International Maritime Organization (IMO) in London, his ministry said in a statement.

Voulgarakis said he hoped other countries would follow the lead of Greece which maintains the world's largest shipping fleet.

The sum will be deposited into a fund created by the IMO "to improve the security of the straits," in cooperation with countries such as Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia bordering the maritime corridor which handles 30 percent of all sea transport globally.

Connecting the Pacific and Indian oceans, the 805-kilometre strait is one of the sea routes most affected by piracy, despite an improvement in the security situation thanks to better cooperation between countries bordering the area.

The United States has offered to help secure the zone against possible terrorist attacks, which Malaysia has rejected to date.