Karimata Strait

Karimata Strait is the broad passage between western Borneo and Belitung, linking the South China Sea with the Java Sea. Islands, reefs and shoal water broke up the crossing, while monsoon winds affected the routes that sailing ships could safely use. The strait carried traffic between the ports of Java, the Malay world and the southern approaches to China.

Its strategic importance became especially clear in 1811, when Britain prepared to invade Dutch-held Java. Sailing from Malacca, the expedition could either pass through Karimata or take a longer northeastern route around Borneo and through Makassar Strait. Stamford Raffles recommended Karimata, and Governor-General Lord Minto accepted despite objections from some naval officers. About one hundred vessels carrying roughly eleven thousand troops departed Malacca during 11–18 June. They reached Java's coast on 30 July, six weeks after Minto and Raffles had sailed. The passage thus served both older maritime exchange and a major imperial campaign. The voyage demonstrated that seasonal judgement and knowledge of a navigable route could turn a broad, island-strewn sea into a direct connection between military bases.